Sterol Composition and Accumulation in Glycine max (L.) Merr Leaves under Different Filtered Sunlight Conditions

Soybean plants (Merr) were grown in the field in three plots. Sixteen days after sowing, two plots were covered with blue and red polyvinylchloride filters (0.45 millimeter thick) and one remained uncovered as control. Leaves of all plots were analyzed for total, free, esterified, and glycosidic sterols at two successive stages of plant growth (flowering and podripening).During the growth, total sterols increased in the control sample and under red and blue polyvinylchloride filters. Although free sterol contents were always the highest, the esterified sterols were mainly responsible for this increase. Red and blue polyvinylchloride filters caused a general decrease in the amounts of sterol classes but, during the growth, they caused the largest and most consistent changes. These filters particularly increased sitosterol and decreased stigmasterol. The changes in relative amounts of stigmasterol and sitosterol in soybean leaves might represent an interconversion between these two sterols. There seems to be a general increase-decrease relationship due to light quality.