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Heirloom Tobacco Seed

deluxestogie

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This is a long, wonderful article from July 2017, in Cigar Aficionado Magazine. It discusses developments in the DR, Honduras and Nicaragua to resurrect heirloom varietals that have fallen out of production over the past half-century. Pilotico, Pelo de Oro, and many more.

General tried to bring back about 21 heirloom seeds, but most didn’t perform as well as hoped. For some seeds, the yield was far too low. For others, the tobacco’s original flavor profile and characteristics seemed to have been compromised in the growing process. Others still had leaves that did not grow to adequate size, and there were some that still proved too susceptible to the many diseases that can harm a tobacco plant.

https://www.cigaraficionado.com/article/heirloom-seeds-19428

Bob
 

Charly

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Very interesting article ! Thanks Bob.
It would take a more than a life to try all these old strains ! But what a fine life ! :)
 

Hasse SWE

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Nice article there Bob. Little to long for me to read at the moment but I will for sure read it again to morrow!
 

ciennepi

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Thank you Bob. Very interesting.
If I understand correctly they cross the heirloom variety with new hybrid to gain new resistance to disease and better yeld.
 

deluxestogie

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Do you think they'd open it up to us? ;)
Unlikely. As the article reads, all this effort is highly proprietary, with the goal of competitive uniqueness.

Many of those old and abandoned varieties are currently held by ARS-GRIN, but the folks there have tired of greedy growers (like us) begging for them. Arranging a "group request" through this forum is occasionally a possibility. But if you do acquire the seed, you still have 5 to 7 years of effort to develop a stable hybrid that, in the end, may or may not be something that would make you proud.

I think that a more promising approach for a home-grower would be to put that effort into a cross of two of the hundreds of varieties we already have access to. For example, a successful cross of Corojo 99 and Long Red might be spectacular. Might not.

Bob
 

DistillingJim

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Indeed. My question was intended as somewhat tongue in cheek. It's already hard enough deciding what to grow.
 

Hasse SWE

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Unlikely. As the article reads, all this effort is highly proprietary, with the goal of competitive uniqueness.

Many of those old and abandoned varieties are currently held by ARS-GRIN, but the folks there have tired of greedy growers (like us) begging for them. Arranging a "group request" through this forum is occasionally a possibility. But if you do acquire the seed, you still have 5 to 7 years of effort to develop a stable hybrid that, in the end, may or may not be something that would make you proud.

I think that a more promising approach for a home-grower would be to put that effort into a cross of two of the hundreds of varieties we already have access to. For example, a successful cross of Corojo 99 and Long Red might be spectacular. Might not.

Bob

That is relly true Bob. And like DistillingJim say is it worth it? That stuff is up to eatch grower to decide.. I am more in to save old variants and have been looking to GRIN and other similar seedbank for a time.. but I also grow new(er) variants just to see how good they are. I relly love to grow tobacco and hope that I can keep on doing that. But to be honest I can't tell if I can grow next season. And this have I not been so very active (it have hapend to much in and around my life)..
 
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