Central Tobacco Research Institute, Rajahmundry, A.P.
The weight of midrib as a percentage of that of the whole leaf was studied in 50 natu tobacco varieties. It was observed that, besides varieties, the primings also showed significant differences, the percentage midrib in the last priming being significantly less than in the bottom or middle primings. The correlation between the proportion of midrib and leaf length was significant and more than that with leaf breadth. It would thus appear that increasing the breadth of the leaves will increase not only the yield of tobacco leaf, but also the more economic product, viz., the proportion of lamina weight therein.
