Primary alcohols are the most abundant wax components in the wheat cuticle, however the genes involved in the primary alcohol-forming pathway are largely unknown. Wang et al. (on pp. 1944-1961) discovered that the TaFAR1 gene, which belongs to the fatty acyl-CoA reductases (FARs), is involved in the biosynthesis of primary alcohols destined for the wheat cuticle. Water stress caused up-regulation of TaFAR1 expression and increased wax accumulation on leaf blades, suggesting that TaFAR1 could be used as a promising tool for generating wheat cultivars with enhanced wax composition in order to sustain future food production.