Here's a question for our resident tobacco-growing authorities: Has anyone ever successfully crossed any of the varieties of Burley and Virginia tobacco plants to produce a hybrid? Would this even be possible, or is this just a "pipe dream"?
Maybe it did; Burley after all is an atavism of Virginias, so retains (somewhere) those traits. But maybe it was a hybrid, which would be more likely.I read that Semois is a burley that has developed its distinctive characteristics over time due to its environmental variables ; but is rather a hybrid of different burleys or other tobaccos?
Exactly, which is why a natural-grown mix is a hybrid.Um, I think hybrids are created by cross-breeding in the field or greenhouse, whereas GMO's are genetically modified in the lab.
Yes it was. If you get a copy of "Tobacco Leaf" by Killebrew he lists several dozen tobaccos that were common at the time (late 1880's).Was the Bonanza cross that you mentioned ever commercially viable? It certainly sounds intriguing.