Field experiments were conducted in 1961 and 1962 on the Mountain Research Station at Waynesville, North Carolina, to test the hypothesis that the volume of soil enriched with different quantities of N and P would influence their effects on the growth of burley tobacco. Nitrogen at rates ranging from 40 to 640 lbs/ A was placed in bands of either eight or 32 inches and mixed with the surface six inches of soil. A similar arrangement was used with P, except that rates of P ranged from 22 to 1408 lbs/A. All nutrients except the one being evaluated were applied at a constant rate and in a 32-inch band, Differential responses to the volume of N-enriched soil were more evident soon after transplanting than at the time of harvest. Yields and chemical composition of the cured leaf were usually influenced more by the rate of N than by differences in the volume of soil fertilized. The lack of differences in yield between the two placement procedures is believed to be due to the mobility of N in the soil, the rapid uptake and translocation of N and the lack of differences in root growth between the two placements. Early growth of the tobacco was stimulated more when P was placed in the eight-inch than in the 32-inch band. There were no differences among P rates or placement on yield or quality of the cured tobacco. This effect is assumed to be due to the residual level of P in the soil.

(Full article published with kind permission from "Tobacco International")