Two new flue-cured tobacco strains (CTH251 and CT92) have been recommended for registration by the Ontario Recommending Committee for Flue-Cured Tobacco (ORCFCT). The decision was made during the ORCFCT ‘s annual meeting held on February 23, 2021. The new varieties are being entered in the registered cultivar trial in 2021, along with the popular registered cultivars in Ontario. A brief description of the new strains is given below.
CTH251
CTH251 is a male sterile hybrid. Information on the parents used to develop hybrids is not released. CTH251 is similar to CTH14 for several traits including days to topping, plant height, leaf number, leaf spacing, and area of the eighth leaf. Grade index, yield, and company rating are similar between CTH251 and CTH14, and percent “O” grades are similar. Percent off-grades for CTH251 do not appear to be different from CTH14.
CT92
CT92 (tested as 16DA9-2) is a conventional variety derived from crosses involving the cultivar CT681 and a breeding line 20KA15-2, and the cultivar CT572. CT92 has improved Black Root Rot tolerance, a trait that will make it a useful option where soil-borne disease is a problem. In comparison to CTH14, CT92 is higher yielding, similar in grade index and earlier topping.
The leaf width of the eighth leaf and tip leaves is slightly wider than CTH14 though the lengths are similar for CT92 and CTH14. CT92 has about 3 cm higher plant height with wider spaced leaves, and the number of leaves per plant is approximately one less than CTH14. CT92 has a greater potential for producing improved returns.
Total “O”, “L”, and “F” grades are similar between CT92 and CTH14 and “CR” grades seem to be slightly lower than CTH14. The company rating for CT92 is comparable to CTH14.
Percent lamina is higher than for CTH14.
Post prepared and sent by Canadian Tobacco Research Foundation
Mailing Address: CTRF, P.O. Box 322, Tillsonburg, ON N4G 4H5
Telephone: 519-842-8997
Web Address: http://ctrf1.com