6. Why is the colour of a leaf kept in the dark frequently yellow, or pale green? Which pigment do you think is more stable?
Answer
A leaf kept in the dark for a long becomes yellow or pale green because of the disintegration of chlorophylls. Light is essential for the production of the chlorophyll pigment. In the absence of light, the production of chlorophyll-a molecules stops and they get broken slowly. It results in the change in colour of the leaf to light green. This causes the xanthophyll and carotenoid pigments to become predominant, causing the leaf to become yellow. Carotenoids which provide a yellow colour to the leaf are more stable.