Effect of Soil Types on Growth and Quality Characteristics of Flue-cured Tobacco

In order to find out the effects of soil types on tobacco growth and quality, we studied the growth rate during various growth stages and physical and chemical properties of cured tobacco leaves with three soil types (paddy soil, purple soil and red soil) in Guiyang county, Hunan province. The results showed that in purple soil, tobacco grew fast during budding period but slowly during maturation period, and their leaf chemical composition was harmonious. The content of potassium was rich but the proportion of midrib was also high. The dry matter, leaf thickness and the unit leaf area were significantly lower than the other two types of soil. Tobacco from paddy soil grew too fast in maturity. The dry matter, leaf thickness and the content of nicotine and total nitrogen were too high due to nitrogen residual. The growth of flue-cured tobacco in red soil was relatively weak, the physical properties was similar to the tobacco leaves in paddy soil. The content of sugar was high while nicotine was low, the ratio of sugar/nicotine and volatile acid/alkali was significantly higher than tobacco in paddy and purple soil. The smoking test results showed that tobacco leaves from purple and red soil were better than those from paddy soil. In conclusion, the growth rhythm and physical and chemical characteristics of leaves have great differences from different types of soils.