Tobacco

Tobacco

Indian Tobacco has two spp.

a) Nicotiana tabacum :

•Plant height : 150- 250 cm

•Large and narrow leaf

•Texture of leaf is fine 

•Nicotin content -0.5-5.5 %  

•Used for Smoking and chewing purpose

Nicotiana tabacum

b) Nicotiana rustica:

• Plant height -90-120 cm

• Nicotine content is 3.5- 8 % 

Used for hookah , chewing and snuff purposes ( for inhaling) 

✓ Central Tobacco Research Institute,Rajah- mundri , A P. (1947) 

pH = 5 to 6 are always better for the production of superior quality leaves

✓ Nicotine is produced mainly in plant roots and is carried through stem to leaves where it is stored

✓ In Gujrat , tobacco is mainly grown in Sandy to sandy loams called ' goradu soils'  under irrigated conditions

In Orissa natu tobacco is known as Pilkka tobacco 

Areas:

Indian Tobacco :

✓Flue cured Virginia (FCV) : Cigarette , tobacco 39% area

Major exportable type mainly grown in 1)Andhra Pradesh (1000000 ha) 

2) Karnataka ( 20000 ha) 

✓ Non Virginia types : 70 % area of total tobacco area , Bidi , Natu , Chewing , hookah , and cheroot , burley and snuff tobacco

Bidi Tobacco is most important non Virginia type : it's 70% area and 80%  production in Gujarat

Other states are : Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra 

*Bidi Tobacco Reseach station Anand

Released two varieties

Anand 119 and

Anand 2 

Chewing tobacco : U.P. , T.N. W.B. , Gujrat , Bihar and Orissa 

U.P. and W.B : grow N. Rustica

T.N- grow , N.tabaccum 

Natu tobacco is grown in mainly - Andhra 

Hookah - W. B . 

Planting:

 Seeds.  are mixed with soil, sand or Ash before sowing or broadcasting because seeds are very small in size usually 10000- 12000 per gram seed 

Seed Rate - 20-30 kg seeds per 100 square metre area in nursery for one ha i.e. 2-3 kg seed /ha 

Time for nursery sowing : 2nd fortnight of august

Transplanting Age: 4-5 leaves stage

7-9 weeks in tabacum 

5-6 weeks in rustica

Topping: 

Removal of flower heads either alone or with few upper or top leaves from the plants to improve the size , body and quality of leaves 

De- Suckering:

After topping, axillary buds grow ; Removal of such lateral branches or suckers or auxiliary buds is called Desuckering

The main aim of topping and desuckering is to divert energy and nutrients from the flower head to leaves 

✓ Priming:

Removal of lower leaves which come in contact with soil and lose their commercial value . Such lower leaves are called sand leaves

✓ Harvesting:

Two common methods 

1) Priming:

Removal of matured leaves .

Entire harvest needs 5-6 priming used in used in cigarette and wrapper tobacco

2) Stalk - Cut method:

Used in Hookah , Bidi , Cigar

Bidi Tobacco:  when top leaves develop red rusty spots called spangles 

Chewing: leaves develop pronounced puckering 

Hookah : Yellowish brown spots of puckering

Curing:

 is essentially a drying process where by most the moisture of leaf is removed to impart required colour, texture and aroma to the final product 

Four types of curing are prevalent in india-

1) Air curing/ Shade curing:

Practiced for wrapper tobacco in W.B. 

There are three main methods of air curing- 

a) Ground -Curing:

Hookah tobacco in U.P. 

Chewing tobacco in Karnataka

b) Rack curing:

T.N- Cigarette, cigar , chewing snuff 

Maharashtra - Bidi and chewing

Assam - Hookah

c) Pit curing:

Not very common but mainly in Punjab , T.N , Maharashtra & A.P. 

2. Sun Curing : cigar and chewing , Bidi Tobacco 

3) Fire Curing/ Smoke curing: Chewing tobacco in T.N. 

4) Flue curing: Cigarette curing process consists of three stages

1) Yellowing of leaves - temp 32-35°C and high humidity 85-90% fir 30-40 hours 

2) Fixation of colour:

Any delay in drying of leaves , after Yellowing is over , result in development of a brownish tinge on the yellow leaves due to oxidation of tannin like substances called sponging

A sudden rise in temp when leaves are still wet , results in a bluish black discoloration called scalding 

Drying: at 71° C ( 160°F) to dry veins and mid ribs .

Agricos

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