ABSTRACT
Tobacco of the N. tabacum species is a ‘major world crop’ that is grown in more than 120 countries with developing nations presently accounting for more than 80% of the world production. Wood in farming is principally used as fuel for curing, but smaller amounts are also directly used in the form of poles and sticks in barn construction. Tobacco requires the application of considerably large amounts of artificial inputs such as pesticides. In general, tobacco when picked as a green leaf direct from the plant’s stem must be cured to obtain the characteristic tobacco taste, aroma and colour and to preserve it for storage, transport and further processing. Among the four main methods of curing, natural curing makes use of the natural variations in temperature and humidity to dry up the leaves, while artificial curing uses heat from energy sources such as coal, oil, gas and wood.
