Effects of canopy shade on the lipid composition of soybean leaves

Abstract

The effect of canopy shade on leaf lipid composition was examined in soybeans (Glycine max cv. Young) grown under field conditions. Expanding leaves were tagged at 50, 58 and 65 days after planting (DAP) in plots with either a high (10 plants m−1 row) or low (1 plant m−1 row) plant density. At 92 DAP, light conditions ranged from a pho‐tosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of 87% of full sun with a far‐red/red (735 nm/645 nm) ratio of 0.9 at upper canopy leaves to extreme shade where the PPFD was 10% of full sun with a far‐red/red ratio greater than 6. Highly shaded leaves in the high plant density treatment accumulated triacylglycerol (TG) up to 25% of total leaf lipid, a 2.4‐fold increase in TG on a chlorophyll basis compared to leaves in the upper canopy. Although total polar lipid content was reduced up to 50% in shaded leaves, shade had little affect on the lipid content or composition of thylakoid membranes. Shade did not affect leaf chlorophyll content. Therefore, the changes in leaf lipid composition were not related to senescence. These findings suggest that conditions of low irradiance and/or a high FR/R ratio cause a shift in carbon metabolism toward the accumulation of TG, a storage lipid. Eighteen‐carbon fatty acid desaturation was also affected in highly shaded leaves where a reduction in linolenic acid (18:3) content was accompanied by a proportional increase in oleic (18:1) and linoleic (18:2) acids.