Definition of Cell Plate

In the process of cell division, there is the stage which is known as cytokinesis in which the cytoplasm is divided into two daughter cells. In the animal cells, this division of cytoplasm is brought about by the formation of a contractile ring that is made up of actin and myosin. But in the plant cells, the cytoplasm is divided when a new cell wall is formed.

This cell wall is termed as cell plate and it is formed between the two new daughter cells. It is a disk-shaped structure and arose from the vesicles of the Golgi apparatus. The matrices of these vesicles contribute to the formation of a new cell wall. The other set of the vesicles get fused with the sides of the parent cell and leads to separation of the cells. The synthesis of cellulose begins at this stage and hence the cell plate now becomes the primary cell wall.