The researchers found that plants with a thicker cuticle, the waxy layer that covers leaves and stems, are better able to retain water and tolerate drought conditions. This is because the cuticle helps to reduce water loss through evaporation.
“Our findings suggest that breeding crops with a thicker cuticle could be a key strategy for improving drought tolerance and increasing crop yields in water-scarce environments,” said study lead author Guillaume Lobet, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Plant Biology at UC Davis.
The researchers studied two varieties of soybeans: one with a normal cuticle and one with a thicker cuticle. They grew the plants in a controlled environment and subjected them to different levels of drought stress.
They found that the plants with the thicker cuticle were able to tolerate drought conditions better than the plants with the normal cuticle. The plants with the thicker cuticle had higher levels of water content in their leaves and stems, and they also produced more biomass.
The researchers also found that the plants with the thicker cuticle had higher levels of a hormone called abscisic acid (ABA), which is involved in regulating drought responses. This suggests that ABA may play a role in the drought tolerance of plants with a thicker cuticle.
“Our study provides new insights into the mechanisms that allow plants to tolerate drought conditions,” said senior author Kent Bradford, a professor in the Department of Plant Biology at UC Davis. “This information could be used to develop new strategies for improving crop drought tolerance and increasing food production in a changing climate.”
The study was recently published in the journal Plant Physiology.
