The quantity of applied mineral fertilizers in a crop production can affect the production costs and the environment. Thus cultivars which can give good yield and quality at a lower fertilization rate should be interesting to crop producers. In the flue-cured tobacco breeding program in "Croatian Tobaccos" attention is paid to the cultivars that are efficient in nutrient use. Usual fertilization for the breeding nursery plot is 30 kg N + 25 kg P₂O₅ + 180 kg K₂O per ha. In order to screen the flue-cured cultivars efficient in nutrient use an experiment was carried out at two locations (Virovitica, sandy loam, pH 5,5; Kutjevo, silty loam, pH 5,7) for two years. In the experiment (RCBD, four reps, three 22-plant rows per plot, spacing 100 x 50 cm) five tobacco cultivars from the breeding program were grown in the first year, and eight cultivars in the second year, at two fertilization rates; 40 kg N + 25 kg P₂0₅ + 150 kg K₂O per ha, and 60 kg N + 35 kg P₂0₅ + 210 kg K₂O per ha. In the first experimental year no significant difference was found in yield, price and value of the cured leaf between the fertilization rates. Most cultivars had slightly higher yield after applying the higher fertilization rate at both locations. Average price and total value also slightly increased with the more intensive fertilization. In the second year, the control cultivar DH17 followed the same pattern in yield response to the more intensive fertilization, but had slightly higher price at the lower fertilization rate. Other cultivars generally had slightly higher values for all agronomic trait at the lower fertilization rate. Consequently, higher fertilization rate applied in this experiment was not justified for growing the tested cultivars. In commercial flue-cured tobacco production in Croatia the recommended fertilization is 30-40 kg N + 25 kg P₂O₅ + 180-200 kg K₂O (ha) and, the average yield (in dry farming) is about 2400 kg/ha.