TSNA Task Force for Air-cured
Tobacco
Report to the Scientific
Commission, January 2005
Coordinator: Gary Palmer, University of Kentucky, USA
Liaison: Mark
Nielsen, GenApps , USA
Objectives
Objective 1: Develop a standardized nornicotine screening protocol so that baseline levels of nornicotine are comparable in tobacco seed varieties used by investigators.
Status: Under reevaluation to be directed toward seed screening protocol
Objective 2: Develop guidelines or suggested critical survey questions for farmer practice surveys so that results can be compared within and between tobacco origins.
Status: Completed
Objective 3: Develop a collaborative study to investigate standard deviation for moisture content within farmer marketing packages among origins.
Status: Dropped (see Objective 6)
Objective 4: Develop a collaborative study, which uses hobo loggers or a suitable substitute to collect curing conditions and possible impact of TSNA levels for tobaccos of diverse origins and curing environments. Attempt to standardize placement of equipment and sample protocols.
Status: Nearing completion. Final data collection is in progress with a final report expected in Paris.
Objective 5: Resolve sample handling of post cure tobacco for TSNA determination.
Status: Completed
Objective 6: Review the issues of post cure tobacco storage and ventilation parameters.
Status: Initiated at CORESTA meeting in Brazil. Dr. Lowell Bush and others are developing procedures for evaluation.
Although the TSNA Task Force has determined that no action is required on Objective 1, concerns exist that the original intent of Objective 1 was to look at the actual process of the screening protocol rather than the analysis. No standardized nornicotine analysis screening protocol was necessary, but a standardized screening protocol was discussed at the Agronomy/Phytopathology meeting in Brazil. A proposal was made at the TSNA meeting in Brazil that a screening protocol developed by the University of Kentucky be accepted by the CORESTA Scientific Commission. However, there were some concerns that use of the term LC added to a variety could violate international re-release laws without adequate justification that the re-release was sufficiently different from the original. This matter will be revisited once final details of the screening protocol have been released. At that time University of Kentucky personnel under the leadership of Anne Jack will assist any CORESTA member with the details of the protocol.
Objective 3 was reassessed at the CORESTA Congress in Kyoto, Japan and the Task Force proposed that this objective be dropped. Although moisture content is known to be a contributing factor in the development of TSNA, deviation within a marketing package is though to be of less importance than average moisture content. However, moisture in the marketing package is still a concern along with the storage of tobacco and the influence of ventilation during storage (see Objective 6 below).
Bruno Fontaine, ANITTA, France coordinated the development of a third year of research on Objective 4. However, due to reassignment, Christine Nicholas has become the coordinator for the Objective 4. The protocol for the 2005 collaborative study was as follows:
Air-curing process: record T°C and RH% in the curing place
with hobo-loggers; describe the curing place (spacing, material, etc.) and the
curing process (beginning, end, etc.).
Taking-down: take tobacco samples (upper-middle leaves around the hobo-loggers) for TSNAs, NO2, alkaloids, NN analyses and grading.
On-farm storage: record T°C and RH% in the on-farm storage place with hobo-loggers; describe the place for storage (material, size, characteristics of the bales, etc.)
End of on-farm storage period: take tobacco samples (upper-middle leaves around the hobo-loggers) for TSNAs, NO2, alkaloids, NN analyses and grading.
A completion date of October 2006 is projected for Objective 4 with an appropriate report presented at the 2006 CORESTA Congress, in Paris, France. However, Christine Nichols solicited other member from the southern hemisphere to consider implementing the trials since their curing season was still ahead of them. If others have data from their late curing season, the completion date could be pushed beyond the Paris meeting.
Marlene Adams, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, USA coordinated Objective 5: “Resolve sample handling of post cure tobacco for TSNA determination.” A sampling protocol for TSNA determination was submitted to TSNA Task Force members. After revision by the TSNA Task Force members, a sampling protocol was submitted to the Scientific Commission in May of 2005 for approval. We assume that there was no problem with this protocol, since there was no response.
Objective 6: “Review the issues of post cure tobacco storage and ventilation parameters” was proposed in Kyoto, Japan. Dr. Lowell Bush, University of Kentucky was selected as the coordinator at the TSNA Task Force meeting in Brazil. Since then he has worked with Anna Wiernik, Swedish Match; Dwayne Beeson, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company; Peter Walton, Premium Tobacco Ltd; Edson Espindola, Souza Cruz; Satoshi Katsuya, Japan Tobacco Inc.; Marcus Vinicius Luisi, Souza Cruz to develop a testing protocol. The protocol will in place by the meeting in Paris.
Due to the extended nature of research conducted by participants of the TSNA Task Force, a proposal to change the TSNA Task Force to a Sub-Group was suggested in Kyoto, Japan. That proposal was submitted to the Scientific Commission in May of 2005. Indications are that the Scientific Commission will approve of this change, but no official word has been received.