Abstract:
Stability of chemical component contents between 2005 and 2009 was statistically analyzed by 234 of flue-cured tobacco samples with grades of B2F, C3F and X2F from Hubei province. The results showed that, in average, chemical components of flue-cured tobacco from Hubei province were almost in normal range of high quality flue-cured tobacco, which indicated that the flue-cured tobacco in Hubei had appropriate content of chemical components, and had high quality. The variation coefficients of total sugar, reducing sugar and total nitrogen were small and stable. The variation coefficients of chlorine, the ratio of potassium to chlorine and the ratio of total sugar to nicotine were high and unstable. There existed extensive variation among chemical components of different grades in different years. Overall, the variation coefficients of chlorine and the difference between total sugar and reducing sugar were high. Highly significant differences with grades of B2F between years were found for contents of total sugar, total nitrogen, potassium, the ratio of total nitrogen to nicotine and the ratio of total sugar to nicotine, while significant difference for nicotine and the ratio of potassium to chlorine. Highly significant differences with grades of C3F between years were found for content of total sugar, total nitrogen, the ratio of total nitrogen to nicotine, the ratio of total sugar to nicotine and the ratio of potassium to chlorine, while significant difference for nicotine and chlorine. From 2005 to 2009, the content of nicotine with grades of B2F, and C3F had increasing trend, while that of potassium has decreasing trend. Highly significant differences with grades of x2F between years were found for contents of total sugar, total nitrogen, potassium, the ratio of total sugar to nicotine and the ratio of potassium to chlorine, while significant difference for nicotine, chlorine and the ratio of total nitrogen to nicotine.