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Cuticle and Cell Wall Thickness: Relation to Mechanical Strength of Whole Leaves and Isolated Cells from Some Forage Legumes¹

Leaflets from seven legumes were examined by electron microscopy to determine the thickness of the cuticle, outer tangential epidermal cell wall, and mesophyll cell wall. Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.), cicer milkvetch (Astragalus cicer L.), and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) have a high resistance to leaf and cell rupture while alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), arrowleaf clover (Trifolium vesiculosum Savi), red clover (T. pratense), and white clover (T. repens L.) are more susceptible. The cuticle and the epidermal cell wall and the mesophyll cell wall were thicker in sainfoin, cicer milkvetch, and birdsfoot trefoil. Correlation coefficients show a strong relationship between a thick cuticle, epidermal, or mesophyll cell wall and a greater resistance to certain types of mechanical damage in whole leaflets or isolated cells. Among the species, cuticle thickness measurements provided a larger coefficient of variation than thickness measurements for epidermal cell wall plus cuticle or cell wall alone. Those legumes which had thicker cuticles and cell walls are considered bloat-safe. Epidermal cell wall and cuticle and mesophyll cell wall thickness are probably leaf morphological characters which contribute to the non-bloating nature of some forage legumes.

Key Words: Mechanical strength • Cell wall • Cuticle • Medicago sativa L. • Trifolium repens L. • T. Pratens L. • T. vesiculosum Savi • Lotus corniculatus L. • Astragalus cicer L. • Onobrychis viciifolia Scop

² Research scientist, Agriculture Canada Research Station Saskatoon, 107 Science Creg., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. S7N 0X2.

Received for publication June 16, 1983.