Abstract: In order to clarify the effects of harvesting and air-curing on physiological-biochemical characteristics and quality of cigar tobacco cv. CX26, three combination treatments were conducted. These were harvesting by priming + air-curing by leaf stringing (T1), harvesting by stalk-cutting once + air-curing by whole plant hanging(T2), and multi-stage harvesting by stalk-cutting + rod-riding air-curing (T3). The mass fractions of moisture and chemical components were determined, the appearance quality, physical characteristics and grade proportion of the cigar tobacco leaves were analyzed. The results showed that, with the proceeding of air-curing process, the moisture and free water contents in the cigar tobacco leaves decreased, while the bound water content increased first and then decreased, and the water loss rate of the middle leaves was lower than that of the upper leaves. The nicotine content, starch content, nitrogen/nicotine ratio and potassium/chlorine ratio of tobacco leaves by T2 were 3.2%, 0.8%, 0.8 and 37.8, respectively, which were all within the suitable ranges, indicating harmonious chemical compositions, and those leaves were thin with loose and flat structures and low green spot proportion. The proportion of first-class leaf in middle leaves was significantly higher than in upper leaves. Therefore, the method of harvesting by stalk-cutting once + air-curing by whole plant hanging was considered suitable for cigar tobacco cv. CX26.