Xanthophyll-cycle kinetics as well as the relationship between the xanthophyll de-epoxidation state and Stern-Volmer type nonphotochemical chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence quenching (qN) were investigated i n barley (Hordeom vulgare L.) leaves comprising a stepwise reduced antenna system. For this purpose plants of the wild type (WT) and the Chl b-less mutant chlorina 3613 were cultivated under either continuous (CL) or intermittent light (IML). Violaxanthin (V) availability varied from about 70% in the WT up to 97 to 98% in the mutant and IML-grown plants. I n CL-grown mutant leaves, de-epoxidation rates were strongly accelerated compared to the WT. This is ascribed to a different accessibility of V to the de-epoxidase due to the existence of two V pools: one bound to light-harvesting Chl a/b-binding complexes (LHC) and the other one not bound. Epoxidation rates ( k ) were decreased with reduction in LHC protein contents: kWT > k,,,,,,,, >> k,(IML This supports the idea that the epoxidase activity resides on certain LHC proteins. lrrespective of huge zeaxanthin and antheraxanthin accumulation, the capacity to develop qN was reduced stepwise with antenna sim. l h e qN leve1 obtained in dithiothreitol-treated CL-and IML-grown plants was almost identical with that in untreated IML-grown plants. l h e findings provide evidence that structural changes within the LHC proteins, mediated by xanthophyll-cycle operation, render the basis for the development of a maior proportion of qN.Higher plants are able to nonradiatively dissipate energy absorbed in excess to what can be utilized in photosynthesis and thus protect themselves from photodamage. This is reflected as qN. The buildup of qN was found to be influenced in a complex manner. The major (rapidly reversible) proportion of qN is associated with acidification of the thylakoid lumen in response to light exposure (for a review, see Horton and Ruban, 1992). There is mounting evidence that this proyortion of qN arises from the LHCs (for a recent review, see Horton et al., 1994). Studies of plants with altered antenna composition have served to substantiate this idea (Lokstein et al., 1993(Lokstein et al., , 1994 Briantais, * This work was supported in part by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (grants Nos. Ho 1757/1 and Gr 936/4) and by a doctoral fellowship of the "Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes"