Similarity Analysis on the Physical Properties of Imported versus Domestic Flue-cured Tobacco Leaves in China

To investigate the similarity of physical properties between imported flue-cured tobacco leaves and domestic tobacco leaves, the physical properties of flue-cured tobacco leaves of four grades from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania were compared. Furthermore, the samples were analyzed by cluster analysis with samples from 11 domestic production areas including Yunnan, Guizhou, Henan, etc. The results showed that:1) The weight per unit leaf area, thickness, equilibrium moisture content and filling value of domestic flue-cured tobacco leaves were close to that of imported tobacco leaves, but the tension was higher and the single leaf weight was lower. 2) The physical properties of flue-cured tobacco leaves from Shandong, Sichuan, Chongqing and Yunnan were similar to imported samples, especially to Malawi and Tanzania samples. The physical properties of flue-cured tobacco leaves from Guangdong, Hubei, Guizhou, Hunan, Fujian, Henan and Shaanxi had a great difference with that of imported ones.