Answering a four decade-old question on epicuticular wax biosynthesis.

In this issue of Journal of Experimental Botany (pages 2715–2730) Schneider et al. report the identity of three genes from barley described in the 1970s as important for the synthesis of β-diketone cuticular waxes, thereby revealing a novel polyketide synthase pathway responsible for their production. It is a perfect example of how modern sequencing technologies can resolve age-old questions on important food crops.