Blue Light Effect on Chloroplast Development in Higher Plants

The etioplast to chloroplast differentiation in angiosperms depends on light. Light is not only necessary for the transformation of PChl(ide) to Chl(ide), but it regulates also the synthesis and assembly of the thylakoid components into structural or functional units, as well as their relative concentration. Light intensity, mode of illumination and light quality affect in different ways the chloroplast development; thus depending on the conditions used, thylakoids with differences in composition, structure and function can be formed. The differences may concern the size and relative concentration of the PSI and PSII units, the relative concentration of the electron transport components, or the relative abundance of stacked and unstacked lamellae.