CORRELATION STUDIES AMONG AND BETWEEN AGRONOMIC, CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL AND SMOKE CHARACTERISTICS IN FLUE-CURED TOBACCO (NICOTIANA TABACUM L.)

Coefficients of correlation among 23 characteristics were determined for several flue-cured tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) cultivars and advanced generation breeding lines, representing a wide range of variability for each characteristic. The variables were grouped into agronomic, chemical and physical characteristics of the leaf and smoke properties of cigarettes. Most of the traits studied in these individual groups could be classed into two main categories in terms of their relationship to yield, leaf alkaloids, smoke total particulate matter (TPM) and wet tar (WT). Those agronomic characteristics positively associated with yield were negatively correlated with leaf total alkaloids, lamina weight and smoke TPM, WT and alkaloids on a per cigarette basis. Conversely, grade index and the average length of the three top leaves, which were in negative association with yield, showed a positive relationship with leaf total alkaloids and smoke characteristics. Leaf total alkaloids and lamina weight, in positive association with each other, were positively correlated with smoke TPM, WT, and alkaloids. However, both of these traits were negatively correlated with yield.