Andrea Keeney, M.S. graduate research associate under the direction of Dr. Andy Bailey and Dr. Bob Pearce, studied the impact of spring applications of potassium chloride to dark and burley tobacco between 2016 and 2018.  Potassium chloride has not been recommended in spring applications to tobacco fields due to its association with poor cured leaf quality.  However, fall applications of potassium chloride can be made and have been heavily adopted by tobacco growers in Western Kentucky due to cost savings.  This research comparing potassium chloride to potassium sulfate at various rates in spring applications showed no significant differences in cured leaf quality between tobacco treated with potassium chloride or potassium sulfate.  However, there were consistent and significant reductions in TSNA, the major group of carcinogens found in cured tobacco, where tobacco was treated with potassium chloride.  These findings showing no significant reductions in leaf quality and significant reductions in TSNA may cause the tobacco industry to rethiink its position on the use of potassium chloride.  Use of spring-applied potassium chloride as the primary potassium source in tobacco would result in cost savings of 30 to 50% of potassium fertilizer cost compared to standard potassium sulfate.