Tropical Plant Research

S. Jaffar Basha*, P. Pulli Bai, K. Prabhakar, J. Manjunath, S. Kasturi Krishna and C. Chandrasekhara Rao

*Regional Agricultural Research Station, Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University, Nandyal-51850, Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22271/tpr.2020.v7.i2.061

Abstract:
A field experiment was undertaken at Regional Agriculture Research Station, Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh from 2016–17 to 2018–19 vertisols under rainfed condition to find out the optimum crop stage and leaf number for topping in bidi tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) for higher cured leaf yield and quality. The experiment consists of 11 treatments (combination of button, early flowering stages for topping leaving 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 leaves). The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications. Significantly higher cured leaf yield (1660 kg ha^-1) was recorded with control (topping at early flowering stage keeping 15 leaves) and was at par with topping at early flowering stage keeping 12 leaves(1628 kg ha^-1) and topping at button stage keeping12 leaves (1587 kg ha^-1). The leaf chemical parameters i.e., nicotine, reducing sugars and chlorides did not differed significantly due to different topping crop stage and leaf number. The nicotine values were ranging from 5.30% to 5.80% whereas reducing sugars were from 2.91% and 3.32% and chlorides from 1.24% to 1.75% and were in permissible limits with respect to quality. The topping at early flowering stage keeping 15 leaves recoded higher net returns (Rs 71,550 ha^-1) and benefit : cost ratio (2.35) followed by topping at early flowering stage keeping 12 leaves (Rs 69,150 ha^-1and 2.31) and topping at button stage keeping 12 leaves (Rs 66,075 ha^-1 and 2.25). Reduction in cured leaf yield was observed in topping either at bud or early flowering stage keeping from higher (15 leaves) to lower number of leaves (8 leaves).