Abstract The effect of iron deficiency on the amount of photosynthetic pigments per unit leaf area was investigated into two fruit tree species, apricot and pear, grown in the field. Iron deficiency reduced the amount per area of all pigments, but the extent of the reduction depended on the particular pigment affected. The concentration of lutein per unit area was the least affected by iron deficiency. When compared to green leaves, iron deficient leaves which had lost about 85 percent of their chlorophyll a and other pigments, conserved about 30 percent of their lutein Tper area). The relationships between neoxanthin and chlorophyll a, and between β‐carotene and chlorophyll a were practically linear. The ratio between chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b increased only when the chlorophyll a content fell below 6–8 μg cm‐2, i.e. in fully chlorotic leaves.