  The nucleosynthesis of light elements, from helium up to silicon, mainly
occurs in Red Giant and Asymptotic Giant Branch stars and Novae. The relative
abundances of the synthesized nuclides critically depend on the rates of the
nuclear processes involved, often through non-trivial reaction chains, combined
with complex mixing mechanisms. In this review, we summarize the contributions
made by LUNA experiments in furthering our understanding of nuclear reaction
rates necessary for modeling nucleosynthesis in AGB stars and Novae explosions.
