Experimentation programs Group

Jean-François VONNEZ (SWISSTABAC, Switzerland)		Gernot ALBER (SOTA, Switzerland)

AERET work on experimentation is articulated around an annual database of the trials led on tobacco by the people taking part in our association, giving of short description of the protocol implemented.

This database offers two major advantages to AERET members :

• exchange of protocols before the implementation of trials, in order to work on complementary or identical protocols
• detailed presentations of results during the meetings, on the request of the members

Apart from agronomical aspects, AERET is highly concerned by two other topics :  

• crop mechanization
• tobacco curing and energy consumption

Each year, relevant practices or interesting equipments are presented on the occasion of this working group. At the moment, discussions are aimed at developing and spreading quickly new technologies that could permit:

• a cut in the use of fossil energy for tobacco - especially virginia-curing,
• to mechanize tobacco production (Burley harvesting and stripping for example).