Modulation of Millisecond Chlorophyll Luminescence by Non-Photochemical Fluorescence Quenching

By combining a high frequency modulation system for measurement of fluorescence with a phosphoroscope type apparatus for measurement of luminescence, recordings of fluorescence and luminescence induction kinetics under identical conditions were obtained. Both measuring sys­ tems tolerated the application of saturating pulses of white light for rapid, transient elimination of photochemical quenching at photosystem II reaction centers, thus allowing determination of the non-photochemical quenching component. The saturation pulse induction curves of luminescence are well correlated with the corresponding curves of fluorescence, suggesting that luminescence yield is lowered by the same type of non-photochemical quenching (mostly “energy dependent quenching”) as fluorescence. Hence, in order to evaluate luminescence signals in terms of the rate of charge recombination at photosystem II reaction centers, knowledge of fluorescence quenching is required.