[Light dependence of phytol accumulation. A contribution to the question of chlorophyll biosynthesis]

Phytol is identified by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry and its concentration determined (range 0.005-3 μg) in darkgrown and irradiated plants. Seeds of oats (Avena sativa L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) contain bound phytol (2-5 μg/g). The phytol content decreases during germination in the dark. Phytol synthesis in dark-grown seedlings starts in the light and stops in the dark again. The degradation of phytol in the dark is much slower than that of chlorophyll. The action spectra of phytol and chlorophyll accumulation are identical. The phytol/chlorophyll ratio increases at higher intensities of the monochromatic light, independent of the wavelength.