Comparing genotype and phenotype in wax-less Barley mutant

Sammanfattning: Wax production is essential for the survivability of Barley (Hordeum vulgare) plants. They use it to fend off bacteria, viruses and helps rinse the cuticular surface from dirt. Much research has been done regarding the genetic regulation and the cer-cqu genes are proven to account for the biosynthesis of wax. A point mutation has been induced within the cer-u region which gives rise to waxless plant offspring. By using the point mutation as a landmark for primer recognition when running polymerase chain reactions it is possible to verify that the point mutation disrupts mechanisms of the protein the cer-cqu genes code for. The results can then be visualized by gel electrophoresis. Our results show that the mutation in the cer-u region renders wax production impossible and that the point mutation is present in all waxless population plants. By learning how to control the production of wax one can use that information to optimize the plants growing, one example is constructing more drought-tolerant plants.