New Flue-cured Varieties

The variety 400 is a selection made in the Old Belt flue-cured area. It is not highly disease resistant, but it has slight resistance to a number of diseases : black root rot, root knot, nematode root rot, bacterial wilt, southern stem rot, and leaf spot. That combination of resistance, plus a natural vigor of growth, causes 400 frequently to outyield older, more disease-susceptible flue-cured varieties by as much as 300 pounds of cured leaf to the acre; 400 is well adapted to the heavier soils of the old and middle flue-cured belt areas, and it also does well on occasional more fertile soils of the Coastal Plain area. On these more productive soils, 400 will produce good cigarette tobacco to the top of the plant; it is important, however, to allow the leaf to mature fully before it is harvested; it should not be planted on light soils, like those in South Carolina and Georgia, as the tobacco produced usually lacks enough body to be of desirable quality. Yellow Special is another new variety quite similar in origin and qualities to 400.

Variety 401 is a selection from a cross of 400 with Cash. Like 400, it is slightly resistant to root knot and leaf spot. It yields better than the older varieties. If the leaf is allowed to mature well before it is cured, it produces a cigarette tobacco of good quality to the very tip of the Plant. The cured leaf has more body than 400 and therefore is well suited to the more sandy soils of both the New Belt of eastern North Carolina and the South Carolina Belt. It does not seem to be adapted to Georgia.

The variety 402 is another selection out of a cross with 400. It is a high yielder, and resembles 400 in quality, but is better adapted to eastern North Carolina.

Oxford 1 is a black-shank-resistant type developed by crossing good-quality but susceptible flue-cured varieties with Florida 301, which is highly resistant to black shank. Oxford 1 does not have the full black-shank resistance of 301 and it does not-have the resistance to black root rot than 400 has, and the combination of black-shank and root-rot resistance is needed in the Old Belt flue-cured area. Oxford 1 does fill an immediate need and through its use losses from black shank have been greatly reduced in the Reedsville-Winston-Salem region. The cured leaf quality of Oxford 1 is entirely satisfactory. Oxford 2, 3, and 4 are other selections that resist black shank.

Oxford 26 is the first commercial variety that withstands bacterial wilt. It is the result of a world-wide search begun in 1934 to find wilt resistance. T. I. 448, obtained in Colombia, was the answer. T. I. 448 was a vigorous type that produced cured leaf of fair color and had no distinctly objectionable qualities. It was crossed with a number of good wilt-susceptible flue-cured varieties, including 400, and a selection was made that possessed the full resistance of T. I. 448 and had excellent flue-cured quality. It was named Oxford 26. It is outstanding for the uniformity of its cured leaf color, and has an oiliness and elasticity that appeals strongly to buyers. Many experts think it has better smoking quality than any of the common varieties. Oxford 26 proves that it is possible to combine improved quality with improved disease resistance.

Other New Varieties

Ky. 16, and more recently Ky. 41A, are black-root-resistant Burley varieties that yield well and produce cured leaf of good quality. They are planted extensively throughout the Burley area.

Ky. 19 sometimes yields slightly more than Ky. 16 or Ky. 41A. Its quality is not exceptional, but it does well on fertile lands. It resists black root rot.

Ky. 33 is resistant to fusarium wilt and it is recommended to growers in the Burley area who are troubled by the disease. It yields as much or more than Ky. 16 in favorable seasons, but may yield much less in a dry season. It is easily blown over in wet weather.

Ky. 34 tolerates black root rot, fusarium wilt, and mosaic. It is not recommended for general use because the leaves are very close and hard to cure and it blows over badly.

Ky. 52 is resistant to black root rot and mosaic and is of excellent quality. It is particularly recommended to farmers who have a serious mosaic problem. It is light-colored and should be allowed to mature fully before it is cut. It is about 1 week earlier than Ky. 16.

Ky. 22 is a recently introduced variety more highly resistant to black root rot than previous introductions. Under farm conditions it has proved to have exceptional quality. The yield seems to be somewhat less than Ky. 16 but higher than Ky. 52.

Ky. 150 and Ky. 160 are dark-tobacco varieties that are resistant to mosaic disease. Ky. 150 and Ky. 160 are similar in appearance to Brown Leaf and One Sucker, respectively.

During the 1920's the shade tobacco producing industry of Florida and Georgia was threatened with destruction by the appearance and spread of black shank. The situation was saved by the development of Florida 301, and subsequently R. G., the latter being equally resistant and an improved type.

Conn. 15. In New England growers of shade tobacco are making increasing use of this new variety, which is highly resistant to black root rot. It produces 20 to 25 marketable leaves, compared to 15 to 18 for the ordinary shade variety and has other desirable characteristics. It represents an improvement in both quality and yield of cured leaf.

Havana 142, 211, 307, and 322. The production of cigar binder in Wisconsin is being improved through the introduction and use by growers of these new varieties. All are highly resistant to black root rot.

Havana 142 is now grown on about three-fourths of the Wisconsin acreage. Havana 211 is used to a limited extent in Wisconsin and quite extensively in the Connecticut Valley. Havana 322, developed from a cross between Havana 142 and Havana 38, is indistinguishable in the field from the Old Comstock Spanish, which, except for its susceptibility to root rot, has long been regarded as the best type of binder tobacco.