Epiphytic bacteria were isolated from strawberry plants cultivated in the field or in the greenhouse in order to investigate their interaction with leaf-surface transport properties. Colonization of lower leaf sides was higher on field-grown plants, whereas upper leaf sides were more densely colonized on plants cultivated in the greenhouse. Fungal isolates significantly contributed to total mic...

Mutation of the ECERIFERUM9 (CER9) gene in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) causes elevated amounts of 18-carbon-length cutin monomers and a dramatic shift in the cuticular wax profile (especially on leaves) toward the very-long-chain free fatty acids tetracosanoic acid (C₂₄) and hexacosanoic acid (C₂₆). Relative to the wild type, cer9 mutants exhibit elevated cuticle membrane thickness over ...

Respiratory water loss in insects is a controversial topic. Whilst earlier studies considered respiratory transpiration a significant component of overall water loss, to the extent that it was thought to be responsible not only for the evolution of discontinuous gas exchange cycles (DGCs) but also for variation in DGC patterns, later work repeatedly questioned its importance. In particular, inv...

Terrestrial arthropods lose body water to the environment mainly through transpiration. The aim of this study was to determine the fraction of respiratory losses from total transpiratory water loss in scorpions, as relatively high respiratory losses would indicate a fitness benefit from regulation of gas-exchange rate under stressful desiccating conditions. We measured metabolic rates and water...

Fruit water balance is determined by entry of sap through xylem and phloem, and losses due to back̄ow from fruits to other organs, and to transpiration. The latter, which may vary according to growing and climatic conditions, plays a signi®cant role in fruit water balance. To better understand and predict tomato fruit transpiration, measurements of the transpiration rate of shaded and nonshaded ...

The permeability of astomatous leaf cuticular membranes of Hedera helix L. was measured for uncharged hydrophilic (octanol/water partition coefficient log K(O/W) < or =0) and lipophilic compounds (log K(O/W) >0). The set of compounds included lipophilic plant protection agents, hydrophilic carbohydrates, and the volatile compounds water and ethanol. Plotting the mobility of the model compounds ...

The effects of five strobilurin (beta-methoxyacrylate) fungicides and one triazole fungicide on the physiological parameters of well-watered or water-stressed wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and soya (Glycine max Merr.) plants were compared. Water use efficiency (WUE) (the ratio of rate of transpiration, E, to net rate of photosynthesis, A(n)) of well-watered wheat pla...