The plant cuticle, the outermost protective layer of most aboveground plant parts, serves as the first line of defence. While its role in various stress responses has been well‐studied, its role in ice encasement stress tolerance is unknown. This research aimed to investigate changes in cuticular wax on the leaves and crowns of annual bluegrass after different ice encasement durations (0, 40, and 60 days) and to analyse the relationships between wax levels, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, electrolyte leakage (EL), and recovery rate. A two‐year controlled environment study was conducted during 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 in East Lansing, MI, USA. Higher wax coverage was observed on leaves (61.89 μg cm−2) compared to crowns (7.64 μg cm−2). On average for leaves and crowns, the highest wax coverage was observed in the 0‐day treatment (41.10 μg cm−2), whereas the least was observed in the 60 days treatment (27.90 μg cm−2). The reduction on wax coverage was primarily due to C26‐hexacosanol. A strong negative correlation existed between wax coverage, malondialdehyde content, and electrolyte leakage, whereas wax coverage and recovery rate were strongly positively correlated, indicating that cuticular waxes may help protect against stress damage. Future research should explore these mechanisms further to develop effective strategies for alleviating winter stress in grass species.

中文翻译：

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一年生蓝草 （Poa annua L.） 的叶和冠部表皮蜡反应暴露于冰层中的植物


植物角质层是大多数地上植物部分的最外层保护层，是第一道防线。虽然它在各种应力反应中的作用已经得到充分研究，但它在冰层覆盖应力耐受性中的作用尚不清楚。本研究旨在研究不同冰层覆盖时间 （0 、 40 和 60 d） 后一年生蓝草叶片和树冠上表皮蜡的变化，并分析蜡水平、丙二醛 （MDA） 含量、电解质泄漏 （EL） 和回收率之间的关系。2022-2023 年和 2023-2024 年在美国密歇根州东兰辛进行了一项为期两年的受控环境研究。与树冠 （7.64 μg cm-2） 相比，叶片 （61.89 μg cm-2） 上的蜡覆盖率更高。平均而言，叶子和树冠的蜡覆盖率在 0 天处理中观察到最高 （41.10 μg cm-2），而在 60 天处理中观察到的蜡覆盖率最低 （27.90 μg cm-2）。蜡覆盖率的减少主要是由于 C26-六十二烷醇。蜡覆盖率、丙二醛含量和电解质泄漏之间存在很强的负相关，而蜡覆盖率和恢复率呈强正相关，表明表皮蜡可能有助于防止应力损伤。未来的研究应进一步探索这些机制，以制定缓解草种冬季压力的有效策略。