Climatic factors determine the yield and quality of Honghe flue-cured tobacco

This study investigated the impact of environmental factors (soil and climatic) on the yield and quality of three flue-cured tobacco cultivars (K326, Yunyan87, and Honghuadajinyuan) grown in the Honghe Tobacco Zone of Yunnan, China. Using variance analysis, correlation analysis, and redundancy analysis (RDA), the researchers found that climatic factors, more so than soil properties, significantly affected yield and chemical composition of the tobacco leaves. Higher yields were associated with drier, sunnier conditions. Specific chemical components (e.g., total sugar, nicotine) showed varied responses to altitude, latitude, and soil characteristics. RDA highlighted the importance of soil clay, alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen, available phosphorus, and soil chlorine content in influencing tobacco quality, with cultivar-specific responses to moisture and temperature.

Zuoxin Tang, Lulu Chen, Zebin Chen, Yali Fu, Xiaolu Sun, Binbin Wang, Tiyuan Xia