Virginia tobacco is grown in Roumania since 1937 when the first driers were also built. In recent years, a lot of work has been dedicated to breeding Virginia tobacco in Roumania, which led to the development and use in cultivation of a large number of cultivars and hybrids, with superior features. At present, Virginia tobacco represents 30 % of the total area grown with tobacco; a large contribution to this development comes from the increase in available germplasm obtained by using seeds of cultivars and hybrids of Virginia types, especially from USA, Canada, China, Poland and Bulgaria. Virginia tobacco in Roumania is grown on deep, sandy or sandy-clay soils with low content of humus, soils well provided with water from rainfall or from irrigation. The main objectives of breeding Virginia tobacco are : improved yield and industrial quality, physical-chemical and smoking qualities, increased resistance to stress or agressive factors of the medium (draught, low temperatures in the spring) as well as precocity and possibility of mechanized works. Creation of early cultivars, with shorter periods for growing and ripening, and harvesting completed by early September, implies genotypes with intense growth and assimilation in the first weeks, a high cellular photosynthetic potential at optimum temperatures, non-sensitivity to light. The new, early cultivars also have to be better in yield and quality, have a good resistance to diseases and be suitable for mechanized harvesting. In recent years, four new cultivars, Virginia 1173, Virginia 496, Virginia 196 and Virginia 207 have been developed and used in cultivation in Roumania. The new Virginia cultivars are characterized by a faster initial growth after transplantation, the leaves ripen more uniformly, they are smaller, less consistent and burn better in comparison with the late cultivars. Tobacco is cured in a shorter time with a lower consumption of fuel; usability in factory is better than for the late cultivars.