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Q.What are Plastids? How is a Chromoplast different from a Leucoplast?

Jammu Kashmir JkboseJammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (Class 11) 2025Subjective· 2mImportance★★★★★
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Plastids are pigment-containing or storage organelles of plant cells; chromoplasts carry coloured pigments (giving colour to flowers and fruits) while leucoplasts are colourless and store food.

Plastids are large, double-membrane-bound organelles found in plant cells and some protists (e.g., euglenoids). They contain some region-specific pigments, giving them specific colours, and/or serve as storage sites for various substances. Based on the pigments they contain (or lack), plastids are classified into: chloroplasts, chromoplasts, and leucoplasts.

Chromoplast:

  • Contains fat-soluble pigments other than chlorophyll, mainly carotenoids (carotene, xanthophylls), which impart yellow, orange, or red colour.
  • Responsible for the colour seen in many flowers (e.g., petals) and fruits (e.g., tomato, chilli).

Leucoplast:

  • Colourless plastids, largely found in underground parts of the plant (roots, tubers) and in cells not exposed to light.
  • Primarily involved in storage, and are of different types depending on what they store:
    • Amyloplasts - store carbohydrates (starch), e.g. in potato tubers.
    • Elaioplasts - store fats and oils.
    • Aleuroplasts - store proteins. …

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