Toward the crystallographic and microstructural mechanisms of plant leaf waxes as diffusion barriers

Waxes within the leaf cuticle, the outermost layer of the plant leaf, play a defining role as a transpiration barrier and also serve as an important target for agrochemical interventions... Waxes within the leaf cuticle, the outermost layer of the plant leaf, play a defining role as a transpiration barrier and also serve as an important target for agrochemical interventions for crop protection. A prevailing model for this behaviour is the role of wax ‘bricks’ in building the diffusion barrier. This review brings together crystallographic and microstructural research to highlight the variety of crystalline, disordered, and amorphous structural features known in waxes. We trace two predominant research routes applied to leaf waxes: one directed at simplified waxes but with highly detailed descriptions of molecular packing and a second focused on the diffusion characteristics of the complex system of the cuticle and its multicomponent wax compositions. Bringing these routes together will develop sufficiently complex but tractable structural models for waxes, often dominated by a single or a few components in common crop plants. A complete description of leaf wax function will enable ways to control diffusion through the development of targeted interventions for drought tolerance.