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Bull. Spec. CORESTA Congress, Guangzhou 1988, p. 121, PP-3

New flue-cured tobacco cvs in Italy

DI MURO A.; SORRENTINO C.; CISTANINI G.; MORETTI G.; TREMOLA M.G.; CUCINIELLO A.
Istituto Sperimentale per il Tabacco, Scafati, Italy
In 1987, a flue-cured tobacco variety evaluation program began with a joint effort between the Istituto Sperimentale per il Tabacco, Amministrazione Monopoli di Stato and the main industries and growers Cooperative Societies. Testing new varieties against usual cropped McN 944 (Italian selection), twenty-one cultivars were evaluated at three locations (two in Veneto, one in Umbria), with the object of choosing new varieties for Italian situations. All entries were included at each location and three replications of a randomized complete block design were used. Each one-row plot consisted of fifty competitive plants. Normal cultural practices were used. Individual plots were harvested according to degree of maturity. Performance data were collected on yield, quality, agronomic and chemical characteristics, physical and chemical traits, smoke panel evaluations. Seasonal conditions were near normal in Veneto; in Umbria a heavy hail-storm destroyed plants after the second harvest. An analysis of variance was made for the main data. The results, show that new cvs (constitued by Genetic Section of I.S.T.) gave better results than standard ones. These appeared with significant early maturing with good cured leaf yields and grade quality, smoke panel evaluation indicating satisfactory organolectic properties : BTMS1, BTMS2, BTMS4, BTMS6, BTMS7, BTMS9 (all CMS F1), G7, G9, G11, G17, G19 (by Pedigree method). Among these cultivars, some seem resistant to weather fleck with tolerance to root-rot and some viruses. Variety evaluation in small replicated plots continues in 1988 in five locations (Veneto, Umbria, Abruzzo) : the best 5-6 cvs will be evaluated under farm conditions, in 1.000 m2 plots in seven provinces.