Tobacco
See also: Tobacco (homonymy)
The tobacco is a manufactured good elaborate starting from Feuille S dried of plants belonging to the botanical kind Nicotiana (family of the Solanaceae ), originating in South America, whose most important common Tabac is the ( Nicotiana tabacum ). The tobacco is consumed mainly to be smoked in the form of Cigare S or of Cigarette S, or using the Pipe, but it can also be snuffed or chewed. The use of the tobacco is justified by the stimulative effects of the Nicotine and was largely spread in the whole world following the discovery of America. Nowadays, it is fought more and more for its effects toxic and prohibited in various circumstances in particular in the Western countries.
Its production is often a Monopole of State and generally subjected to heavy taxes.
The line production
Production
The Nicotiana are plants néotropicales Nitrophile S, originating in the hot areas and requiring a ground rich in Humus. The temperature and the nature of the grounds exploit a paramount role the properties of the tobacco: the culture can be carried out only between temperatures going of 15 °C with 35 °C, 27 °C constituting an ideal for the blooming of the seedlings. One considers the surface cultivated world at 5 million hectares, primarily in Asia and America, although its relative plasticity enables him to be cultivated between the 60e degree of northern Latitude and the 40e degree of Latitude southern. The degree of maturation and the method of harvest of the sheets constitute an essential component and determining for their destination. Under-maturées, the sheets are intended for the capes for cigars (the outer jacket). Harvest in sheets can last more than one month, the sheets being collected one by one according to maturation, while harvest by stem much faster because is mechanized, but with the detriment of quality.
Diseases
- Alternariose ;
- Cast iron of sowings;
- Mildew;
- Oïdium;
- black Rot of the roots;
- Sclérotiniose ;
- mosaic Virus of the cucumber;
- mosaic Virus of the tobacco.
Ravageurs
- Moles, courtillières, slugs, cut worms, plant louses, hépiale, cut worms (towards gray), thrips,
Deficiencies
Other enemies
- Broomrape (parasitic plant);
- Nematode of the stems (anguilules).
Treatment
The collected sheets of tobacco, they are dried to eliminate more than 90% from their water. The leaf tobaccos are classified according to their variety or their mode of drying:- sun-cured , Eastern tobaccos dried with the sun;
- creeps-cured , tobaccos type Virginia dried with the hot air, very appreciated;
- fire-cured , tobaccos black type Kentucky dried with fire;
- dark air-cured , black tobaccos dried with the air, French taste;
- light air-cured , tobaccos clear type White Burley dried with the natural air, American taste;
Consumption
See also: Nicotinism
Marketing
The very extensive use of the tobacco in the world, much more snuffed than any other poison even if the effects on health of this practice are extremely well-known, generated the constitution of Major S of industry powerful (reinforced by the policies " anti-tabac" , which de facto eliminated the small productions) and from a movement anti-tobacco followed more and more by the population and the policies.In spite of the public health problems, the tobacco industry does not want to give up the exploitation of the tobacco in the form of cigarette and/or cigar. The average employees to preserve or increase the level of the production led to abuses which were the subject of giant financial fines, in particular with the the United States. A certain number of developed countries took measures (prohibitions with the minors, increase in the taxes, etc) to inform their population and to obtain a significant reduction in consumption. From where current efforts of the tobacco industry to move the sales development in direction of the countries in the process of development, in particular African.
The films Tobacco of Nadia Collot or Thank You for Smoking of Jason Reitman are militant works in the denunciation of promotional practices to the margin of legality.
Tobacco and old Egypt
The discovery of tobacco in the balsam of the Egyptian mummies, goes up on arrival on the French soil of the royal mummy of Ramsès II in Paris in 1976 on the initiative of the historian Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt.
The botanical study of the mummy of Ramsès II is entrusted to Mrs Michele Lescot, taxonomist and specialist in vegetal anatomy in the laboratory in phanerogamy in the Museum in Natural history in Paris, street Buffon. The discovery of components of Nicotiana, among the vegetable remains of the visceral balsam, leaves the perplexed specialist… The skepticism of its fellow-members accompanies his first observation, because the " Nicotiana L" is a component of the American tobacco….
She entrusts some samples to Mr Steffan, specialist in the laboratory of entomology of the Museum and not only this one confirms the searchs for its fellow-member but in discovers there the presence of a parasitic coleopter of the American tobacco.
It then decides to send other samples of balsam to professor Metcalfe in England, universally known for its work of vegetal anatomy. This last confirms after a meticulous study the presence of tobacco inside the mummy. Thereafter of other studies will be led all over the world and in particular by Mrs Svetla Balabanova toxicologist and medicine legist of the laboratory of the museum of Egyptian Antiquities of Munich.
Tens of royal and princely mummies will reveal components sometimes very important of Tabac and even of Coca, in the balsams and the hair of the mummies.
The elements of Nicotiana L. observed under the microscope, belong to solanaceous, big family represented well on the American continent.
Nicotiana is subdivided in sixty species and three sub-genera: Rustica, tabacum and Pétunioide.
( One finds other varieties of plants of tobacco, but only endemic in Oceania and Australia ).
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