The growth of plants produced in mini-clods above the ground can be interrupted by suppressing nitrogen nutrition (supplied in soluble form). With this method one can envisage keeping the plants aside. To verify this possibility the authors have carried out conservation of a long duration under the following conditions : plants conserved for 7 months in conditioned units (from November 1987 to June 1988); plants produced under a plastic shelter under normal conditions (April to June 1988); transplanting of both types of plants into the field at the beginning of June. During growth in the field, are measured : the number of days to flowering, the number and size of leaves. The results obtained show that plants deprived of nitrogen can be conserved a very long time, they become chlorotic and very hard. These plants take a little more slowly but are more resistant and give adult tobacco plants comparable to the controls. They have, in particular, an identical number and size of leaves. In conclusion, one can say that the plants produced in mini-clods above ground can be left to wait, when the transplanting conditions are bad, if the nitrogen feeding is interrupted followed by watering with pure water. This conservation can be very long without modifying the potential of a good transplant.