What Are Plastids?

Plastid is a type of organelle closely related to carbohydrate synthesis and storage. It is a unique structure of plant cells. According to different pigments, plastids can be divided into three types: chloroplasts, chromosomes (also called colored bodies), and white bodies. ^[1]

Leucoplast does not contain visible pigments (also known as colorless bodies). It was named white because it was white under the light microscope. On the white body in the cells of the storage tissue, starch or protein often accumulates, forming starch and aleurone grains that are many times larger than the original volume, and become the storage substance in the cell. When the white body accumulates starch, it begins to form a core called the umbilicus from one place, and then continues to accumulate around the nucleus, forming a concentric wheel pattern around the umbilicus. Due to the strength of the sun and the temperature within a day, the starch grains often appear eccentric. If you observe potato starch granules, you can see.

According to the storage materials, it can be divided into: amyloplast (storage starch), proteoplast / proteinoplast (storage protein), oil- forming body ( elaioplast , storage lipid).

The white body of some cells contains colorless prochlorophyll, which can be transformed into chlorophyll after light exposure, and the white body turns green, so some people think that the white body can also become chloroplast.

Plastid