The role of photosynthesis related pigments in light harvesting, photoprotection and enhancement of photosynthetic yield in planta

Photosynthetic pigments are an integral and vital part of all photosynthetic machinery and are present in different types and abundances throughout the photosynthetic apparatus. Chlorophyll, carotenoids and phycobilins are the prime photosynthetic pigments which facilitate efficient light absorption in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. The chlorophyll family plays a vital role in light harvesting by absorbing light at different wavelengths and allowing photosynthetic organisms to adapt to different environments, either in the long-term or during transient changes in light. Carotenoids play diverse roles in photosynthesis, including light capture and as crucial antioxidants to reduce photodamage and photoinhibition. In the marine habitat, phycobilins capture a wide spectrum of light and have allowed cyanobacteria and red algae to colonise deep waters where other frequencies of light are attenuated by the water column. In this review, we discuss the potential strategies that photosynthetic pigments provide, coupled with development of molecular biological techniques, to improve crop yields through enhanced light harvesting, increased photoprotection and improved photosynthetic efficiency.