CHANGES OF STARCH GRAINS AND PLASTOGLOBULI IN CHLOROPLASTS OF MESOPHYLL CELLS IN GINKGO BILOBA L. LEAVES

Observations were made on chloroplasts of mesophyll cells of the newly and expanded young leaves of ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.) cv. 'Qixingguo' in spring, of the mature leaves in summer, and of the senescing leaves in autumn by transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that there were no starch grains and plastoglobuli in chloroplasts of newly leaves in spring, and there were a small amount of starch grains but no plastoglobuli in expanded young leaves. There were lots of starch grains but only a few plastoglobuli in chloroplasts of mature leaves in summer. The starch grains reduced and disappeared finally but the plastoglobuli increased significantly in chloroplasts of senescing leaves in autumn. The deterioration of the chloroplasts may have relationship between the starch grains decrease and plastoglobuli increase.