In sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris L.) iron deficiency decreased not only the photosynthetic rate but also the actual photosystem II efficiency at steady-state photosynthesis. In moderate iron deficiency, the decrease in actual photosystem II efficiency under illumination was related to closure of photosystem II reaction centers, whereas in severe iron deficiency it was associated to decreases of intrinsic photosystem II efficiency. The O2 evolution, on an absorbed light basis, decreased more than the actual photosystem II efficiency, suggesting the presence of a significant fraction of electron transport to molecular oxygen or the existence of some form of cyclic electron flow. Iron-deficient leaves reduced the excess of light absorbed that cannot be used in photosynthesis not only by decreasing absorptance, but also by dissipating a large part of the light absorbed by the photosystem II antenna. This mechanism, that protects the photosystem II reaction centers through the enhancement of energy dissipation, was related to the de-epoxidation of violaxanthin (V) to antheraxanthin (A) and zeaxanthin (Z) in iron-deficient leaves. These data provide additional support for a role of Z+A in photoprotection under conditions of excess photosynthetic light absorption.