Varieties Group

Dr. Varga Lajos ( MADOSZ )


Varieties are the first step to produce a tobacco complying both with growers’ expectation (resistances to bioagressors , yield , maturity , quality …) and with market criteria.

AERET group aims for proposing European tobacco growers a panel of varieties that could correspond to their agro-pedo-climatic conditions. The process of introducing new varieties in tobacco farms could be divided in two parts. Tobacco breeders work on a fundamental level to provide new varieties. Then, in each area , trials are led by experimenters to evaluate the adaptation of new varieties to local conditions. AERET modelled its work on this process.

Varieties group is divided in two sub-groups :

• each year , tobacco breeders send a list of relevant varieties to the coordinator. An annual index of varieties, compiled by the coordinator, is at the disposal of persons experimenting the varieties in each producing area ;
• experimenters share each year the results obtained in varieties trials.

In order to compare the results obtained in different areas, « AERET checks » have been chosen:

• K 326 for aromatic flue-cured,
• ITB 33024 for filler flue-cured and,
• TN 90 for Burley.

Tobacco breeders taking part in AERET are listed below :

• AGROPORT D-Kft, from Hungary
• CETARSA, from Spain
• Hrvatski Duhani dd Virovitica, from Croatia
• ITB – Imperial Tobacco, from France
• IUNG –PIB, from Poland
• LTZ – Augustenberg, from Germany
• SOTA center, from Switzerland.