Tobacco Plant

Stem It is a herbaceous annual. However, Nicotiana rustica is found sometimes to behave like a perennial. The plant height ranges from 90 cm to 240 cm in tabacum and 50 cm to 140 cm in rustica.

• The inter-nodes may be very short presenting a rosette appearance or even as long as 20-24 cm.
• The stems are usually round covered with glandular hairs with a tendency to produce branches near the base known as "Suckers".
• The plants of rustica are more robust and densely growing than that of tabaccum. If there are few leaves, the plant has an open appearance, but if they are numerous, the plants have a bushy appearance.

Leaves

• The size of leaves may vary from 15 cm to 100 cm or even more in length. They may be narrow, long and drawn out like a whip, elliptical or broadly ovate with a marked variation even in the same plant.
• The leaf angle varies from an upright to horizontal with dropping at the base, in the centre or at any point of the leaf.
• The leaf base may be sessile or petiolate differing in the development of wings having a breadth 5-6 cm. Sometimes in some sp. the auricles are also observed.
• The lateral veins may be perpendicular to the midrib as in 'wrapper tobacco or may make acute angle with various intergrades as in 'Now' .The types to phyllotaxy normally observed are 1/3, 2/5, 3/8 and rarely 5/13.

Flowers

The tobacco has a terminal receme panicle which may be compact to very lax with a short or long peduncle. The inflorescence in main axis always flowers first and the side branches thereafter in order from top towards bottom.

• The flowers are usually 5 cm in length and vary in their colour from pink, yellow, purplish, or white. The shape varies from funnel to flute.
• The development of green colour differs in its intensity both inside and outside the Corolla tube. The corolla may be wheel shaped with acute apices to pentagonal shape and obtuse tips. Calyx is usually tubular but in few types leaf is globular and inflated.

Capsules

• The capsules vary in size, shape and nature of apex, blunt or conical. The shape may be elliptical, ovoid or conical.

Seeds

• Seeds are spherical or broadly elliptic with variation in degree of ridging on the seed coat. The colour varies from dark brown to light brown.

Cigarette Types

Nicotiana tabaccum

• Principal types of tobacco of this class are Virginia and Natu or Desi grown mainly in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and to some extent in Karnataka and Gujarat States.
• Harrison Special was the chief variety grown in India which replaced the Adcock variety which for a long time was the favourite variety among the American tobaccos grown in the country.
• A number of new varieties have been brought under cultivation with establishment of CTRI , Rajahmundry, displacing Harrison special from general cultivation.
• In Guntur, natu tobacco having leaf with tendril like is called Thokaku, the one having moderately narrow leaf is known as desavalu and that having brood leaf is called dakshinadhi.
• The leaves posses moderately thin texture with pleasing aroma of medium strength and the leaf colour ranging from light to dark brown.
• The bright brown leaves are used in the manufacture of cheap cigarettes and the dark heavy grades used for pipe and shag tobacco.
• White Burley, an air cured exotic variety, is grown in a limited area and is utilised for blending in varying proportions in the manufacture of certain brand of Cigarettes.

Bidi Types

N.tobacum

Bidi tobacco is principally grown in the Charotar area of Gujarat and Nippani area of Karnataka.

Bidi Tobacco

Principal varieties grown in Gujarat are Kehu, Pihu and Gandu.

• Other types, which are found in small proportions with kehu, are Movadiu, or Kalipat and Dso piliu.
• Another variety commonly grown in the area is "Saiffurin. The important varieties grown in Nippani area of Karnataka are Mini, Nippani, Sangli, and lawan. The leaves are considered to be stronger than those from the Gujarat area.

Nicotiana rustica

• A variety of this species called "Pandharpuri" is grown in the Nippani area and is used for giving strength to bidi tobacco.

Cigar And Cheroot Types

Nicotiana tobaccum

Cheroot Tobacco

Cigar and Cheroot tobacco varieties are mostly grown in Tamilnadu and West Bengal.

• Cigar leaf is brown to dark brown in colour, thin in texture and wild to medium and even strong in flavour.
• The colour of the curved leaf of tobacco used for cheroot, produced in Tamilnadu, is dark brown or almost black and the texture varies from thin to medium.
• A number of varieties going by local names are used in the manufacture of Cigar and Cheroots in Tamilnadu.
• The popular among then are Vellaivazhai and Karuwazhai principally used for Cigar and Ostkapal used for Cheroots.
• The lanka tobacco produced on the river bean of Godavari and Krishna are used in the manufacture of indigenous Cheroot.
• The bhengi variety of jati tobacco grown in West Bengal and used mostly in the manufacture of Cheroots and is of greenish brown in colour, medium in texture and strength.

Hookah Types

N.tobacum

Hookah Tobacco

Mainly confined to the states of Assam, W.B. Bihar U.P and Punjab. In Assam it is called Desi Mitha or jati.

• The Chief varieties grown are Sindurkhatha kadamdal Hatikania, Chama, Potuakhd, Daria Sakuria and Barapal.
• Hookah tobacco in W.B is called Jati, also used in the manufacture of Cheroots. Main Hookah tobacco varieties are Bhengi Meena Bhongi, Naokol, Sindur khots and Hingli.
• In Bihar it is called as Desi.
• Varieties Baari (thick and dark leaf ) churia (medium and yellowish brown leaf), kauria (long narrow and Some times bending Katali (as if cent on both sides) Desha (long and broad leaves) Bosi (long and broad leaves), Jakhri (long and narrow leaves) lothi (long, narrow and test leaves) etc.,
• In Punjab Desi varieties is used for Hookahs varieties Kakka, Ghara and Gidri
• The bidi tobaccos grown in Charotar area of Gujarat and Nippani area of Karnataka and also used for Hookah.
• In Hyderabad (A.P) tobaccos which are used in Hookah as also for making chuttas, bidi and cheroots are called Zarda and Desi.

Nicotiana rustica

• Principal varieties are calcuttai, Gobhi, Motihari and Veloyati. Curved leaf is medium to thick coarse in texture, greenish brown in colour, strong and pungent in flavour

Chewing And Snuff Types

N.tabaccum

Chewing Tobacco

There is no variety that in grown appreciably to any extent either for chewing or for snuff types, and usually the same varieties are consumed in a number of forms.

• Generally leaf with medium to thick texture and pungent aroma is selected for chewing and snuff.
• Colour plays a less important part, but for snuff a darker coloured leaf is selected presumably as an indication of strength.
• There are certain varieties, which are mostly used for chewing and snuff.
• Puchakkad variety tobacco, the leaves of which are dark brown and medium in texture grown in S.Kanara district of Karnataka.

N. rustica

• Motihari grown in W.B. , Velayati in Assam and Bihar , Calcutta in Punjab and U.P. which are well developed, thick in texture with bitter aroma and biting taste are selected for chewing and snuff.

• The genus Nicotiana is one of the five large genera of Solanaceae and is represented by about the recognised species which are grouped into three sub groups.

1. Sub-genus: Rustica
2. Sub-genus: tobacum
3. Sub-genus: petunoides

• Out of the 60 species, only two species i.e. Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana rustica are cultivated extensively.
• India grows both the species, but by far the largest area is under N.tobacum which is grown all over the country. Since N.rustica requires cooler climate, its cultivation is confined mainly to the northern and north eastern areas of the country i.e. Punjab, U.P. West Bengal, Bihar and Assam
• The N.tobaccum varieties known as desi types and have a tall plants with broad leaves and have usually pink flowers.
• N.rustica varieties known as velayati and Calcuttai are characterised by short plants with round puckered leaf and yellow flowers.
• Specific varieties N.tobacum have been developed for Cigarette, Cigar, Cheroot, bidi, hookka and snuff tobaccos.
• In addition to N.tobacum and N.rustica, which are commonly cultivated, many species of Nictoiana such as N.affinis are grown for ornamental purposes.
• Aboriginal (Red Indians and Australian natives) used some of the other species in olden days for chewing and smoking.