INFLUENCE OF CULTIVAR AND PLANT MORPHOLOGY ON MECHANICAL HARVESTING EFFICIENCY OF FLUE-CURED TOBACCO

Abstract Experiments were conducted at 4 locations in 2003-2004 to investigate the influence of 10 cultivars and their morphological characteristics on mechanical harvesting efficiency and to develop a ranking system for use in variety testing. Treatments (cultivars) were replicated four times and arranged in a randomized complete block design. Leaf angle, leaf curvature, and internode spacing were measured immediately prior to each of the final three harvests. Harvesting efficiency was determined by the number of lost leaves for harvests 2, 3, and 4 and by measuring non-harvested stem material (stem loss) after harvest 4. Highly significant differences among cultivars in leaf angle, leaf curvature, and internode spacing were found before each harvest. However, these differences did not impact mechanical harvesting efficiency, except at final harvest, where significant differences in leaf and stem loss were found among cultivars. Leaf angle and internode spacing were significantly correlated with stem los...