A comparison of plant and grain wax from two varieties of sorghum

Summary A study was made of the wax from a forage and a grain type of sorghum taken at different stages in plant growth in order to compare the amount and the chemical composition of the wax laid down at different stages in the development of the plant. The sorghum leaf, grain, and stalk waxes were compared to each other and to carnauba and corn wax. It was found that the grain and plant waxes of both types of sorghum were laid down throughout the growth of the plant. A constant level was reached about the time that the grain heads became apparent. There appeared to be definite chemical changes in the wax during the growth period studied. These changes were not necessarily similar from one part of the plant to another or from one variety to another. The waxes laid down on the leaf, grain, and stalk differed from each other in quantity and in chemical composition. Submitted by Cynthia Cannon as partial fulfillment for the M.S. degree in chemistry while an assistant at Kansas State College, Manhattan, Kans. Contribution No. 388.