Starch and sugars of tobacco leaves during maturity stage

Abstract Decapitation (topping), which consists in removal of the terminal bud with or without of the small leaves at onset of flowering, is standard practice in production of tobacco. The operation of topping has the object to inhibit the translocation of photosynthetic products and the other constituents of the plant from leaves to flower bud, which in turn increases size and weight of leaf, thus resulting in increasing the yield and improving the quality of tobacco. This period after topping is called maturity stage of the leaves, being biologically similar to senescence.