EFFECT OF SPACING AND NITROGEN LEVELS ON THE FIRST GRADE LEAF YIELD AND QUALITY OF CHEWING TOBACCO

Abstract

Chewing tobacco is a rabi crop of Tamil Nadu grown under irrigated conditions in about 12000 ha. The crop is widely grown in the districts of Dindigul, Erode, Coimbatore and Dharapuram. In tobacco, leaf being the economic produce, plant geometry and nitrogen plays a key role in first grade leaf production. Adopting proper spacing increases the leaf area and thickness of chewing tobacco thereby leaf yield. The advance breeding line HV 2000-6 recorded maximum total cured leaf yield and net returns at the spacing of 75 x 75 cm (Kumaresan et al., 2009a). The advance breeding line HV 98-16 required a N level of 75 kg/ha for higher total cured leaf yield (Kumaresan et al., 2009b). As the information on the suitable agronomic practices for producing higher first grade leaf is limited, the present study was taken up.