Composition of suberin-associated waxes from the subterranean storage organs of seven plants

Abstract

The waxes associated with the suberin in the periderm of the underground storage organs of parsnip (Pastinaca sativa L.), carrot (Daucus carota L.), rutabaga (Brassica napobrassica Mill.), turnip (Brassica rapa L.), red beet (Beta vulgaris L.), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) and potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) were isolated, fractionated into hydrocarbon, wax ester, free fatty alcohol and free fatty acid fractions, and analyzed by combined gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The amount of wax extracted from the periderm of the storage organs ranged from 2 to 32 μg/cm². The hydrocarbons from the suberin layer have a broader chain-length distribution, a predominance of shorter carbon chains, and a higher proportion of even-numbered carbon chains than the leaf alkanes from the same plants. The major components of the free and esterified fatty alcohols and fatty acids have an even number of carbon atoms, and are similar in chain-length distribution to their counterparts found covalently attached to the suberin polymers; however, these suberin components are shorter in chain length than their cuticular analogues from the leaves. Also extracted from the storage organs were polar components which included fatty alcohols and fatty acids in a conjugated form, and ω-hydroxy acids and dicarboxylic acids. Evidence is presented that removal of the wax from the periderm of whole storage organs results in a decrease in diffusion resistance to moisture.