How do the Calvin-Benson cycle and light reactions work together to make glucose?

Photosynthesis is a two-stage process where the light reactions and the Calvin-Benson cycle work interdependently to synthesize glucose.1

The light reactions occur in the thylakoids of the chloroplast, where light energy is captured to drive electron flow. This process establishes a proton gradient that powers the synthesis of ATP and the reduction of NADP+ to NADPH.21

These products are then utilized in the stroma during the Calvin-Benson cycle, often called the dark reactions. In this cycle, the enzyme RuBisCO fixes carbon dioxide into organic compounds. The ATP and NADPH generated by the light reactions provide the necessary chemical energy and reducing power to convert these intermediates into glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, which is ultimately used to form glucose and other carbohydrates. The cycle also consumes ATP to regenerate the CO2 acceptor, RuBP, ensuring the process can continue.341