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Sudan Journal of Agricultural Research

Scanning electron microscopic examination of epicuticular wax on leaves of three sorghum cultivars under drought and well watered conditions

Ahmed A. Hussain¹ and William S. Stewart²


Abstract

Three sorghum clultivars were subjected to severe drought and their epicuticular wax (EW) form examined by SEM after 10 and 40 days of drought. Two (EW) forms namely, filaments and crystals were found on the leaves. Filaments were well developed under both well watered and drought conditions on Safra and Feki, while on W.Fahal filament development was poor under both treatments. Wax crystals degraded after 40 days of drought to a melted ap¬pearance. The amounts of degraded occluding material was largest on droughted W.Fahal's subsidiary cells, with traces on those of Safra's and none on Feki's. The filaments were well developed in the bloom cultivars, while crystals were the predominent form of wax in the bloomless cultivar. Fila¬ment clusters were most commonlly extruded between the epidermal cells and wax crystals were most common around the filaments and on subsidiary cells

 

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Sudan Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. 7 (2006) PP. 1-8