MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory scientists are refining our understanding of how light wavelengths impact how plants develop their chloroplasts.
Chloroplasts are the engines of plants. They use light from the sun and carbon dioxide to produce energy compounds through the process of photosynthesis. Chloroplasts are full of chlorophyll, a pigment that absorbs sunlight to kick off that process. Chlorophyll is what gives plants their green color.
Scientists know the major players that build chloroplasts and fill them with chlorophyll. But they don't know enough about how a plant's environment can affect this process.
Take light. It has many qualities, like strength of emission or wavelength. Each variable can hinder or improve a plant's health.
"One big aim behind studying chloroplasts and photosynthesis is to grow more productive crops,” said Hussien Alameldin, a researcher in the lab of Beronda Montgomery. “We already know much about the major processes that happen inside a plant. Now, the field is trying to understand the many roles played by a plant's environment. And light is one of many factors that challenge plants daily."
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