Flue-cured tobacco variable in cultural regime was forage-chopped and the cured product compared with whole leaves harvested and cured in the conventional manner. Cultural practices and harvesting and curing equipment were modified during the study to reduce damage and enhance leaf quality. The quality of the chopped product relative to whole leaves, as revealed by extent of green coloration and levels of total alkaloids, reducing sugars and starch, improved during the course of the study. Nevertheless, the chopped product always had more green tissue, lower levels of total alkaloids and reducing sugars, and higher levels of starch than whole leaves. Increasing plant population, fertilizer and topping height generally had a positive effect on yield and a negative effect on quality parameters including proportion of stalk. Delay of harvest increased yield and level of total alkaloids. The potential of chopped tobacco for use as cigarette filler was discussed.

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