INTRODUCTION Tobacco is an important cash crop of Nepal.

It belongs to family Solanaceae and the genus is Nicotiana , which has 50 species. Out of 50 species Nicotiana tobaccum and Nicotiana rustica are the 2 cultivated species. It is grown for its leaves, which are used as a cured product . It is smoked as pipe, cigar, cigarette or hookah used as snuff or chewed as a various forms. Tobacco generally forms a shallow branched system 60-90cm deep from surface ground. Plant ht ranges from 4-6 feet tall. It has a simple cylindrical stem whereas leaf shape varies from broad ovate to linear or lanceolate. Tobacco is normally a self fertilized crop, but cross fertilization is also present about 4-10%. The seeds of tobacco are extremely small, a single fruit may contain as many as 4000-8000 seeds. Nicotiana tobacum is the native of western hemisphere from Mexico southward. The type of tobacco presently being cultivated which is evolved in Maxico and Central America. The plants were cultivated by Red Indians at the time of discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492. Nicotiana rustica is originated in highland of Peru, Equater and Bolivia. Tobacco is cultivated in China, USA, Brazil, India, Mexico, Japan, Iraq, Germany, Spain etc. In Nepal it cultivation is found in Dhanusa, Mahottari, Siraha and Sarlahi .For the first time Janakpur Cigratte factory was established in Nepal in 2014 B.S. and from there cigarette was developed. Table: The area and production of tobacco in Nepal from 2008 to 2011 S.N. 1. 2. 3. YEAR 2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011 AREA(ha) 2542 2534 1135 PRODUCTION(ton) 2497 2491 1238

Source: Krishi Dairy 2069 ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE: Tobacco is smoked as pipe, cigar, cigarette, hookah; used as snuff or chewed as quid in many forms. The seed of tobacco contain 35-38% nicotine free oil which is used to make soap and colour. The cake of seed contains 3%N, 30-35% CP and 20-27% carbohydrate which can be used as cattle feed and organic manure. It is a good source for earning foreign currency .
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OBJECTIVE: To know about the process of flue curing. To know about the importance of flue curing in tobacco. To have knowledge of the size of barn required for flue curing.

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CURING Curing involve the processes of drying, decomposition of chlorophyll until the Green colour disappear from the leaf, changes in the nitrogen compound including release of ammonia, hydrolysis of starch into sugar, and respiration and fermentation of sugar. It is done after harvesting of tobacco to reduce the moisture percentage from leaves, develop colour and add smell in the cured leaves. Curing depends entirely on the cultivation practices, easiness, marketing value and economic condition. There are 4 method of curing. 1. Flue curing 2. Air curing 3. Sun curing 4. Fire curing Flue curing Flue means the passage for hot air blow. Flue curing is the process of curing by exposure to indirect heat, created by moving hot air, smoke or steam through a flue or pipe, and allowing the heat to radiate to heat the enclosure its housed within. The higher heat causes a more rapid drying effect, and is the traditional method for curing Virginia or Bright leaf, which gets its yellow color from the heat exposure. Flue cured tobacco generally has more sugar, less oil and a lower nicotine content. The presence of the sugar also leads to a lower pH, which may lead to a decreased propensity for this type of leaf to cause tongue bite, but can cause heat issues, as the sugars tend to result in a higher combustion temperature. Because of the ability of this curing method to "fix" sugars (maintain the sugars in a relatively stable percentage), a form of flue curing is used in making candela (green) cigar wrapper, as the heat not only fixes the sugars (which are fairly low in cigar leaf) but the chlorophyll as well, allowing the wrappers to stay green. Flue curing started after 1820. By curing with this method it enhance the taste of cigarette. So preference of people towards consumption of cigarette increases. This method is widely adopted by Tobacco Development Company. Flue curing takes 5-6 day to complete the process. The main objective of flue curing is To hasten the early curing stage so that drying will be completed while the leaves are still a light-yellow. To develop the yellow colour in leaf. To fix the colour and dry the leaves.

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SIZE OF BARN REQUIRED FOR FLUE CURING

Figure 1: Flue curing barn Different size of barn is constructed for drying of tobacco. For 6 ha land of tobacco 4.84.85.4 m. For 8 ha of land 666.6 m barn is prepared. They are usually high to hold 3 to 5 tiers of suspended leaves of stalks. The barns are built in bents with pole spaced at the proper distance for having sticks or lathshung over them. The barns are provided with door ventilator, furnace etc. PROCESS OF FLUE

PROCESS OF FLUE CURING Different temperature, relative humidity are required for yellowing, drying, killing, and odouring stage of flue curing which are maintained in the barn. The process consist of mainly three stage: 1. Yellowing: To develop yellow colour, the temperature is allowed to raise to 130F in about 50 hrs, with a range of relative humidity from 65 to 85 % to obtain a bright lemon yellow colour. 2. Colour fixing: After yellowing the temperature is raised and humidity of barn is lowered by opening the ventilator. Great care is required in raising the temperature in this stage. It is raised by not more than1 to 2F every hour ,with rapid raise in temperature, when the leaf is still wet, results in a bluish-black discolouration called scalding .It takes about 16 to 24 hrs. 3. Drying: It is the last stage of flue curing. Drying is completed in about 40 or more hrs .The ventilator are closed and the temperature is raised to about 165F to dry the veins and midribs of leaves. The leaves are killed during this stage, while the relative humidity drops to less than 10 % .This complete the process after continuous heating of 4 to 5 days. Now the ventilators are opened to cool down the barn. The leaves are left in barn overnight for absorbing moisture and to come to normal condition for handling and storage. Now the is moisture is about 8-18% remaining and weight is about 1/5th -1/6th part of the fresh weight with the bright yellow colour like lime, fine and fibrous texture .

Fig: flue cured tobacco leaves

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CONCLUSION: Hence, we came to know that flue curing is an very essential operation to be done in tobacco for yellow colouring, drying, good odour development. To increase the commercial value of tobacco flue curing method is needed to be done. Thus by adapting proper size of flue curing barn, temperature, humidity we can obtain good quality tobacco ready to be commercially sold.

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REFERENCES:1. Singh, Chhidda, 1983, Modern Techniques Of Raising Field Crops, Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., Newdelhi, Calcutta. 2. Martin. John. H, Leonard. Warren. H and Stamp. David. L , Principle Of Field Crop Production ,3rd edition ,Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc. Newyork. 3. Malla Rejeshowr, Kheti Bali, Pathyakram Bikas Kendra ,T.U., Teku, Kathmandu.

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