Relationships of Flue-cured Tobacco Flavor Type with Growing Area and Variety

In order to study the relationships of flavor type with growing area and variety, 127 samples of flue-cured tobacco of 13 varieties were collected from 14 provinces in China, and the chemical components in the samples were analyzed. The appropriate variables were screened by correlation analysis, then, the cluster analysis of flavor types and growing areas and the correspondence analysis of flavor type versus growing area and variety were carried out. The results showed that: 1) 5 variables(sugar, rutin, zinc, stearic acid and benzaldehyde) which highly correlated to flavor type were identified by multiple sequence correlation analysis. 2) The growing area characteristics of middle leaves of different flavor types could be clustered into 3categories on the basis of these variables, it agreed with the results of subjective evaluation. The validation data of 2012 were consistent with those of 2011, it demonstrated the accuracy of clustering results. 3) The results of correspondence analysis showed that the flavor type characteristics of tobacco differed obviously between different varieties and different areas, andgrowing area affected aroma style more significantly than did variety. Growing areas and varieties with similar flavor type characteristics were adjacent to each other and could be visually classified into three categories, which were basically consistent with the results of cluster analysis. This study provides a theoretical basis for the demarcation of flue-cured tobacco planting for different flavor types and the selection of applicable cultivars for tobacco production.