ACCLIMATIZATION OF BURLEY TOBACCO GERMPLASM UNDER AGRO-ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF SWAT VALLEY

This study was performed to identify desirable Brazilian Burley tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) genotypes for commercial cultivation under agro-ecological conditions of Swat Valley of North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Pakistan. Four Brazilian Burley tobacco genotypes; Bag-16101, Bag-161128, CSC-206, and CSC-227 along with adapted Burley-64 as check cultivar were planted in randomized block design at the Pakistan Tobacco Company Research Station, Khawza Khela, Swat during 2003-04 growing season. Data were recorded on yield and some other important plant parameters. Highly significant differences (p 0.01) among the tobacco genotypes were observed for plant height, cured leafyield, grade index and reducing sugar levels whereas differences among the genotypes were only of significant nature (p 0.05) for leafarea, number of leaves plant and nicotine content. The genotype, Bag-16101, yielded the maximum number ofleaves plant andproduced the maximum leaf yield as well. It also manifested resistance against the blank shank, brown spot diseases and viruses. Among all the introductions, CSC-206 and CSC-227 produced the best quality tobacco with grade indices of 70.8 and 68.5, respectively. Burley-64, the commercial cultivar used in the present study, however, produced the shortest plants with the least number of leaves plant, This genotype displayed minimum nicotine content, the lowest yield and grade index and was the most susceptible genotype against blank shank disease and viruses. Bag-16101, CSC-206 and CSC-227, thus, displayed immense potential to replace Burley-64 in Swat valley of North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Pakistan. Moreover, the genetic potential of these genotypes can be exploited in future tobacco breeding programmes