Pre-Wilting Burley Tobacco to Enhance Manual and Mechanical Harvesting and Housing

The objectives of this project are: 1) to investigate different methods for root pruning burley tobacco plants to achieve consistent and timely wilting of the standing tobacco plants. Promising methods that are identified will be tested at two different locations. 2) to develop and test equipment for the practical application of the best root pruning methods identified in objective 1 on a field-scale. 3) to evaluate feasible methods for cutting, notching, and laying down burley tobacco plants on the ground for a short period for field wilting. Selected existing machines already developed for notch harvesting will be tried and modified as needed. Plants should be laid down in a 'windrow' appropriate for mechanical pick-up by a mechanism to be developed. 4) to develop a mechanical pick up device and conveyor to take wilted tobacco plants lying on the ground and loose pile them effectively on wagon beds for hauling and hanging. 5) to conduct tests to compare rates ofleafloss for burley tobacco harvested and hung using current notch-type harvesting systems with that of pre-wilted notched burley tobacco plants harvested and hung is the same way.