Amersfoort

[Tutu]

A question mark for me, hopefully an answer from someone on the forum. This concerns the two, supposedly Amersfoort plants, kept by my mother in the Netherlands. My folks are on holiday and my sister visited the house so I asked her to snap some shots of the tobacco. Once again I find myself comparing the two plants, thinking they look a bit different. One of them looks very much like those Amersfoort plants I have distributed elsewhere, but the second does less. I will post a few pictures below. To get started, I am talking about the plants on pictures 3 to 6 in post #19 and all pictures of plants in post #20.



Again, the plant in front looks pretty much the same as those in Utrecht seen in earlier posts. The seeds used in Utrecht were collected at the Tabaksteeltmuseum on 04-2016. The plants from my mother as well as all the others found in this thread are grown from seeds collected at the Tabaksteeltmuseum on 06-2015. I am not sure whether you all think the two plants on these pictures look alike or are rather different. The one in the back started to bloom very early. At first I thought that this was due to the plants being transplanted extremely late and one coping better with that than the other. Now I am not so sure anymore. Either way, I have told my mum to collect the seedbuds and keep them separate. Growing them next year should give us a decisive answer. However, there are always quite some flying insects in her garden so I am afraid some of it might be cross fertalized. Luckily, Eric in Utrecht has collected seeds from his five plants that all looked alike.

 

[deluxestogie]

They could be the same plant. One (with all the priming) appears more mature, and has more suckering, so it's difficult to compare. A clear view of the auricles of those plant leaves would help. The blossoms have the same tint.

If the plants harvested for seed by the Tabaksteeltmuseum were not bagged, then there is likely some degree of genetic heterozygosity. Open pollinated tobacco is seldom as homozygous as bagged plants, which are usually nearly or completely homozygous after about the 7th generation.

Bob

 

[Tutu]

I have no idea if the Museum does or does not bag their plants. But even if they didn't, with cross pollination going on, a stable variety would produce seeds that are quite similar, wouldn't they? That is, if the Museum is growing a single variety. They are slow to respond to e-mails and my guess is that it's going to be hard to find out. Instead I requested a few more pictures from our Bennekom garden for the forum to have a look at. Maybe this makes it a bit more easier to tell whether or not they are the same. In any case, if I am going to spread this variety among other members on the forum I will not use the seeds produced by these plants. Also, the variety may not look tempting, but keep in mind they are grown in a place that lacks sunlight. Temperatures are also not that high. They grew tall, but the leaf size seems rather small.

Plant 1

The plant I believe to be the real deal in terms of being the Amersfoort variety. This plant looks extremely similar to those grown by others and those grown by us in Indonesia.

Plant 2

The plant that looks slightly different. It might be the same, or it might not be. I asked for a lot of pictures and these are the best ones I got.

 

[Cigar]

To me they look like a cross between a Vuelta Abigo and a Java Besuki..which have grown both of them but thats just my guess am sure greater minds here can tell!


Cigar

 

[SmokesAhoy]

The leaf size is anyone's guess, your suckers are diverting nutrients. Next year keep on top of them and you will see different leaf sizes.

 

[Tutu]

I know, but these are not my plants, they're my mum's, and she's growing then only because she likes the flowers of the tobacco plant. So no topping here. Besides, I was hoping for her to gather some seeds since I only have a few left. These pictures were only posted to establish if the two plants are the same variety or not

 

[deluxestogie]

I see several distinct differences between the two plants.

Plant 1:

• ~90º vein angle
• narrowing of the lamina near the stalk
• fuller leaf auricle at the stalk
• leaf tip acuminate
• leaf surface smooth
• central vein not arched

Plant 2:

• 50-70º vein angle
• no laminar narrowing near the stalk
• minimal leaf auricle
• leaf tip acute
• leaf surface puckered
• central vein arched

To my eye, plant 2 is an Orinoco type (like Virginia flue-cure varieties).

Bob

 

[Tutu]

Thank you Bob, that is very useful information. It confirms my gut feeling. Too bad I can not be there to see the difference with my own eyes. I have to rely on these pictures as well. Hope that my plants in Indonesia will turn out to be all of the actual Amersfoort variety. They are from a February 2016 batch I bought at the museum. All three plants I am growing look similar to plant 1 in these pictures. Very curious as to how they will colour cure in Indonesia in a couple of weeks. In the Netherlands the leafs came out very light but then again, the circumstances are very different.

 

[Tutu]

No longer having to dwell over whether or not the two plants in Bennekom are of the same variety or not, I can continue posting some pictures of others who were growing it and who have sent updates of how things are at the moment. I'll refer to earlier images of each plant underneath each photo.



For me this plant easily ranks as the most impressive Amersfoort specimen that has been grown this season. It belongs to my mum's friend who was in a picture earlier in post #19 in this thread. She has given the plant all the space it needed, a sunny spot, and nothing to stand in between the plant and its growth. I think this Amersfoort tower looks quite impressive. This plant is located in Leersum, which is in the Utrecht province, in which both Amersfoort and Amerongen are located.


Just a few kilometers away in Langbroek we can see how things turn out when the plants, especially the roots, are not given the freedom to develop fully. Nevertheless, seeing tobacco growing for the first time, my grandfather was very content to have these plants. Both him and the lady from the plant in the previous picture plan on growing new plants next year. The growing virus has thus hit them. Previous pictures of these plants can be found in post #11.


These are shots made in Akkrum, the province of Friesland. For comparison, earlier pictures are found in post #2. After having been planted, they were more or less abandoned. In the first picture on the far right you can see some plants tumbling over one another. I had left them there in very small pots as possible back-ups if the main plants would encounter problems. They were left there to fight in close combat with each other. The last picture is of a plant that was planted outside, next to some weeds and other plants. It may be used in a game of "find the tobacco plant".

 

[deluxestogie]

I've never seen a Maryland-type grow as tall as the towering Amersfoort.

Bob

 

[Isabel]

I was in the Netherlands for a few days staying with my parents in Akkrum. It was a nice opportunity to see how the plants were doing. As Tutu explained already, some of the plants were left in very small pots as back-up plants.
The roots of these plants have grown through the bottom of the pots in the soil under. Here is a link of a video I made to show this.

 

[Tanko]

Impressive! Look like mother Nature overdo this a bit.

 

[eebenz]

Old thread but just noticed that there is actually two Amersforts. A cigar one what you have talken in this thread and then another which is definitely a rustica variety. That rustica Amersfort was very popular in Finland when tobacco was home grown largely during world wars. Also in old local literature Amersfort always refers to a N. Rustica.

Last summer I ordered some seeds of that Rustica Amersfort from local seed shop and grew some plants in our summer cottage. Didn't have enough time or it just doesn't turn to yellow. However when stalk harvested (cutted whole plant from bottom and hanged to indoor porch) a little too early (continues growing and blooming after it), it went from green to nice brown in a month. Definitly contains nicotine and taste was ok too.

I grew some plants at home too here is some pics (I have already posted these here to my "welcome thread", didn't then know theres 2 amersforts):
Pic 1 (see the blooms color)
Pic 2 (some medium size plants, ones at cottage were bigger)
Pic 3 (ready product)

If anyone have some info about this variety, it would be nice to hear. Have it been grow in which other countries etc.

 

[Alpine]

That looks like yellow type rustica, my compliments for the beautiful color the cured leaves have. I heard of a Finnish rustica named “kessu” (but can’t find a source for seeds yet) , but I know nothing about Amersfoort rustica... maybe @Tutu will chime in and provide some information.

pier

 

[eebenz]

That looks like yellow type rustica, my compliments for the beautiful color the cured leaves have. I heard of a Finnish rustica named “kessu” (but can’t find a source for seeds yet) , but I know nothing about Amersfoort rustica... maybe @Tutu will chime in and provide some information.

pier

AFAIK kessu just meant any rustica when tobacco home growing here was popular. Nowdays it means those rusticas which were grown back then.

 

[polygon55]

Strange, but the Russian name "makhorka" is the distorted name Amersfoort. The transformation took place according to the scheme: amersfoort-amofort-amoforka-moforka-makhorka.
In old Russian literature there are references to Amersfoort, but precisely as rustica.
This year I grew Amersfoort (tobacco) in two different places. Plants that grew in open areas had a small height (about 1 meter), and bushes that grew in partial shade had a height of about 1.5 meters and large leaves.

 

[fimbrew]

Cool to know..
thanks
Nice looking plant.