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y;L Quincy, Florida
 December 4, 1967

ort 68-6 JANi 2, i,3

FLORIDA 20, A FLECK RESISTANT VARIETY OF CIGAR-WRAPPER TOBACCO
 C. E. DeanAS.- Un f a
 C. E. Deani' __------_ ----_-


 Florida 20 is good yielding fleck resistant variety with a strong stalk and easily
handled leaves. It has a high level of black shank resistance, and resistance to ozone-
induced weather fleck should be sufficient to prevent da-mage under Florida conditions.
Fleck resistance could result in the prevention of s-erious loss in crop seasons when ozone
concentrations are high. Plants may begin flowering earlier than some other varieties, but
leaf number is sufficient for present harvesting practices. Yield per acre is somewhat
lower than some of the varieties currently being grorn, but quality in terms of percent
No. 1 string is higher. In addition, vein structure and angle are favorable, as is the
grain and finish of the leaf.


 Industry representatives rated Florida 20
considered in Experiment Station tests in 1966.
that this variety has continued to perform well
wrapper tobacco industry.


very high among varieties and lines being
Expanded.commercial twists in 1967 indicated
and that it should fill a need in the cigar-


 INTRODUCTION

 Shade-grown cigar-wrapper tobacco has been grown in the Gadsden County area of North
Florida since before 1900. The production of this crop requires the most intensive
management procedure of any type of tobacco, and as a result, the processed leaf demands
the highest price per pound.

 Through the years of production in the Florida area, there have been few changes in
varieties in comparison with other tobacco types. Throughout this period Florida-grown
wrapper tobacco has been used mainly on lower priced cigars. This C:t.ation can be
attributed largely to the lack of varietal change in response to changing market demands.

 The release of Florida 15 in 1964 gave the industry a variety with a higher potential
for yield and quality. However, Florida 15 proved to be susceptible to ozone-induced
weather fleck, which first caused serious economic loss in 1966. Other commercial varieties
proved to be susceptible as well. Also, improvements ware needed in certain quality factors
which would result in industry acceptance of the leaf for use on higher priced cigars.
Florida 20 is being released in an effort to meet the reed for a disease resistant, high
quality variety of cigar-wrapper tobacco.

 ORIGIN

 The development of Florida 20 began in 1959 with the program to incorporate root knot
resistance in cigar-wrapper lines. The root knot resistant flue-cured tobacco breeding line
NG 8098 from the North Carolina State University was crossed with the black shank resistant
cigar-wrapper variety No. 63. These resistance factors were then transferred into a No. 63
genotype by a series of four backcrosses with No. 63 as the recurrent parent. The
segregating progeny was screened for root knot and black shank resistance after each
backcross. Advancing the generations and disease screening were done both in the field and
greenhouse.


Associate Agronomist, North Florida Experiment Station, Quincy, Florida.


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