Tobacco Drying Errors
Drying tobacco is not only the process of losing the water in the leaf, it is a transformation process performed by means of suckers under certain temperature and humidity conditions. In sun drying, the warmer and sunny the weather is, the faster the tobacco dries in a light yellow color. Carbohydrate amounts are consumed less by respiration and the quality is high. On the other hand, if the tobaccos are dried under moisture, dew and rain conditions or if the strings are dried in close contact with each other without air flow in the drying place; They dry in dark red, dark brown or brown color, depending on the variety feature. These reasons lead to some drying errors. In addition, unwanted tobacco is obtained as a result of drying with the effect of diseases and pests in the field period. Some of these drying errors are listed below.
1. Double Varnish ; It is observed with the appearance of chlorophyll in the form of scratches or stains on the leaf blade in dried tobacco leaves.
This error is mostly seen on the bottom and in the first mothers and sometimes in the second and third mothers, as a result of the frequent stay of the tobacco in the series or in the print, not being airborne, and leaving for a long time indoors or indoors.
In addition to eliminating the above-mentioned disadvantages in the first place, it is necessary to bring the lower hands directly to the sun without any withering, and instead of wagon-style drying, a more airy shabby drying method should be applied.
2. Copper Rust ; The dried leaves are known as basra, pied or copper rust, which are known in all varieties and types of tobacco.
Characteristic green, greenish blue or gray-green spots are scattered throughout the leaf of varying shapes and sizes and are mostly seen on the upper and main leaves of the plant. The spots can be between 2 mm - 2 cm in diameter. There are spots and swellings on the infected tissues. The stains do not have elasticity and they have a fragile structure. Parenchyma cells fill with excess starch and chloroplasts. These textures are different from the general color of the leaf. Green, greenish blue or gray spots appear at the end of drying and during storage. It decreases the commercial value of tobacco.
In addition to the effects of climate and soil factors, dry conditions and fertilization are thought to be more effective in the formation of copper rust on leaves. Samsun and Izmir tobaccos are sensitive to copper rust.
3. Black Belly ; It manifests itself in the form of dark brown, dark brown spots with no elasticity and a black color due to the accumulation of rain water around the middle vein of the leaves of all hands harvested under the rain or immediately after the rain.
It occurs when the middle of the series is moist and airless in completely closed, very humid and rainy weather. Such leaves smell bad, cannot be annealed well and their quality values are low. This error can be prevented by not breaking the tobacco immediately after the rain and protecting it from the rain during drying. In addition, the middle veins of tobacco with excessive fertilization and irrigation become more thick and hold excess water. Karagöbek is more common in tobacco where such practices are used.
4. Water Speckle ; During the drying of tobacco belonging to all hands, it manifests itself in the formation of dark colored, non-elastic, brittle local areas with the effect of dew or raindrops on any part of the leaf surface. They occur where dew or raindrops fall off and remain for a long time during sun drying. They stick together in the series. When these tobaccos are exposed to light, oil stains are observed.
Especially in the mornings and evenings, the drying areas should be covered against the dew and rain. Also, it is necessary not to make a crushing immediately after the dew, but it should be done after the dew has risen.
5. Dry Spot ; It should be examined under 3 subheadings.
a- Dark brown spots, different from the main color, are seen on the leaves during sun drying. Although the reason is not known much, it does not play an important role in quality.
b- In addition, it manifests itself with wild fire or bluish diseases in the field period and the transformation of the infected leaves into dark spots as a result of drying of the diseased areas in the tobacco that is crushed and dried in the first stages of the disease. Since there will be areas with necrosis as a result of breaking and drying after the advanced stages of the diseases in question, hole leaves are formed as a result of drying. It can be prevented by timely field struggle against the specified diseases or by throwing the leaves with disease spots without lining up. It is a factor that reduces quality.
c- It is the presence of spots that are darker than the normal yellow color on a dry leaf. These spots are called scent spots. It is an indicator of quality. It is a factor that increases quality.
6. Falling or Falling ; It should be examined under 2 subtitles.
a- Breaking in technical maturity, but falling temperatures with early autumn causes the tip and bottom hands to dry dark green. These tobaccos are called beautiful. The green color does not disappear in the dark leaves, their smell is not good and their quality values are low because they are bitter. In high altitude production areas, early planting is done so that the harvest of the end and bottom hands does not end in autumn, and the cutting of the end hands in rainy weather can prevent this error. As a result of fermentation, the edges of the leaves may turn into red-brown color.
b- Before the technical maturity, broken tobacco dries out in a bitter green - black green color as a result of drying. It should not be confused with fall. Black green raw decay is caused by exposure to hot winds or intense sun in the early days of drying. The color of these tobaccos does not change. It has no commercial value. Tobacco must be broken at technical maturity.
7. White Speckle ; It should be examined under 2 headings.
a- White necrotic spots that appear locally or scattered on the leaf surface of the unbreakable starch grains in raw broken tobacco.
b- On the lower leaves of tobacco, irregular white spots appear as if sprinkled white paint on the leaves as a result of the staining caused by ozone gas on the stomata on the leaves that are crushed and dried (weather fleck-air spotting). In areas where this disease is seen, slaughter should be done in time. White spots caused by both reasons cause poor quality.
8. White Vein : It manifests itself in the form of whitening and drying of the leaf surface, especially around the veins, as a result of the pest called thrips absorbing the leaf sap in the field circuit.
Since the elasticity and hygroscopicity of the leaves that dry in this way are low, maintenance and preservation is difficult. In the field circuit, it is necessary to fight the thrips pest in a timely manner and not to harvest the leaves that have been applied.
9. Burn-Late ; After the leaves with delayed breakage are dried, dark brown areas occur on the leaf blade. Cell discharge occurs as the nutrients in the leaf migrate to the upper leaves due to late breaking.
Dark brown areas occur with the drying of the evacuated cells. They lose their elasticity and tempering properties. It causes poor quality. Tobacco must be broken at technical maturity.
10. Powdery mildew ; It occurs when diseased leaves are broken and dried as a result of powdery mildew in the field circuit of tobacco. It is a disease covered by an ashen-colored white fungus layer on the leaf surface. It causes a decrease in quality due to the formation of black and dark spots on the tobacco that dries. Chemical control should be carried out, as well as tobacco farming should be avoided in ground and secluded areas. Diseased leaves should not be crushed.
11. Scalding : When strong hands, including the third mothers, are exposed to sudden sunlight without fading, the thick-textured, non-flexible green-colored drying of tobacco is called scald.
If the breaking of strong hands has come across rains, the longer duration of withering can be prevented by paying attention not to expose the tobacco to direct sunlight during hot sunny moments.
12. Crushed, Flattened, Torn ; The drying defects that occur as a result of the damage of the leaf blade or the middle vein of the broken tobacco either during the rowing or during the transportation from the field are called crushed.
Tear is a defect caused by the tearing of the leaf blade with the effect of the wind in the field. The type of tear called shirkma is caused by the leaves to tear at the drying site.
