Effects of Temperature and Humidity on Amylase Activity in Flue-cured Tobacco during Curing

The effects of temperature and humidity on the amylase activity in flue-cured tobacco during curing were experimented.The results showed that: 1) in the curing process,for leaves in a fresh state,there were two peaks on amylase activity curve,one at 36℃,when the amylase activity was the highest,another at 38℃;for leaves in a wilted state,the amylase activity was highest at 38℃;for leaves in a minor curl state,the amylase activity increased with the increase of temperature,when the temperature was in the range of 37℃-40℃;2) when the temperature was at 38℃ and the difference between dry and wet bulb temperatures was in the range of 3℃-1.5℃(RH79%-89%),fresh leaves maintained higher amylase activity,after that the activity descended quickly with the increase of relative humidity.When the temperature was at 40℃,and the dry and wet bulb temperature difference was in the range of 3℃-2℃(RH80%-86%),the amylase activity in wilted leaves was higher,it decreased slightly when the said temperature difference was less than 1.5℃;for leaves in a state of minor curl the amylase activity(increased) gradually with the rise of relative humidity.