Plant Pigment

The four main pigment components of plant leaves are chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotene, and xanthophyll. While most plant leaves appear green to our eyes, several different photosynthetic pigments of various colors are usually present in the chloroplast of green plants. The colors of these pigments are due to the numerous double bonds in their structure. Chlorophyll a and b provide the green color of leaves, which absorb most of the light energy needed for photosynthesis to occur. The greatest absorption of light by chlorophyll is in the red, blue and violet wavelengths. Associated with these green pigments are several other pigments known as carotenoids. These are commonly yellow to red in color, and are also involved in harvesting light energy for photosynthesis.