Extractable protein yield of NC PY-10, LAFC 53, Speight G-28, and SC 58 tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.), planted as “close-grown,” was compared by utilizing four harvest treatments: (A) harvest during the button stage, (B) harvest of ratoon regrowth following cutting and discarding of the mature tobacco, (C) harvest of mature tobacco, and (D) harvest of three successive mid-growth crops by utilizing ratooning. Results show no significant differences among the tobacco cultivars tested. Treatment D, with three successive mid-growth harvests, produced a significantly greater amount of extractable protein/ha than the other harvest treatments tested.

(Full article published with kind permission from "Tobacco International")