Intact chloroplasts isolated from the leaves of 7-hour plants (7-h PLD) displayed 1.5- to 2.0-fold higher PS rates than plastids isolated from 12-hour plants (12-h PLD). Plastid lamellae prepared from 7- and 12-h PLD isolates displayed equivalent rates of ferredoxin-dependent ATP and NADPH photoformation indicating that electron transport processes were not factors in the establishment of higher 7-h PLD PS rates. Analyses, both in leaves as well as intact PLD isolates, of dark to light transitional increases in Calvin cycle intermediates, e.g., ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) and 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PGA), as well as estimations of activities of RuBP carboxylase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphate phosphatase, indicated that 7-hour plant leaves displayed higher PS rates (than 12-hour plants), because there was a higher magnitude of activity of the Calvin cycle.

Although both the foliar level of starch and sucrose, as well as starch synthesis rate, often was higher in 7-hour compared with 12-hour plant foliage, the higher 7-hour plant total PS rates indicated that maximal sucrose and starch levels did not mediate any `feedback' inhibition of PS. The higher 7-hour plant foliar and PLD PS rates resulted in higher glucose-1-P levels as well as a higher ratio of 3-PGA:Pi, both factors of which would enhance the activity of chloroplast ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, and which were attributed to be causal to the higher starch synthesis rates observed in 7-hour plant foliage and PLD isolates.