Wind Resistance of Burley Tobacco as Influenced by Depth of Plants in Soil

ABSTRACT THE effect of a burley tobacco plant's depth in the soil on its resistance to lateral loads similar to those ex-erted by wind, was investigated. Forty-eight mature plants were tested in saturated Maury silt-loam soil. Depth in soil significantly affected lateral force required to produce a permanent set of 15 deg from vertical. A linear relationship was described between depth in soil and the rotational moment per unit stalk width required to produce a permanent set of 15 deg from vertical. The roots of a burley plant were found to provide only a small percentage of the total resisting moment offered by a plant against a lateral force, while the majority of resisting moment is provided by soil pressure against the in-soil portion of the stalk.