Abstract: In order to improve the quality and industrial availability of upper tobacco, the upper 4 leaves of Yun Tobacco 87, which is the main plant in Changting, Fujian Province, were used as the research object to investigate the effects of different harvesting methods on the yield and quality of tobacco. Three treatments were set up: primary maturity harvesting（T1）, chopping and roasting with stems（T2）, and split harvesting（T3）, and the physical characteristics, appearance quality, economic traits, chemical composition and sensory quality of the samples from each treatment were measured. The results showed that in terms of physical characteristics, T1 had the highest single-leaf weight, while T2 had a significantly lower single-leaf weight than T1 and T3. In terms of appearance quality, T1 had the highest total score and T3 had the lowest. In terms of chemical composition, T1 had the best harmonization with high sugar content, low nicotine content and high sugar-alkali ratio; T2 had the lowest sugar content, highest nicotine content and lowest sugar-alkali ratio. For economic traits, T1 had a better proportion of medium- and top-grade tobacco, average price, yield, and production value than T2 and T3, and the difference in production value and yield between T1 and T2 was the greatest. In terms of sensory quality, T1 had the highest total score and T3 had the lowest. Combining the results of all measurements, the upper 4 pieces of tobacco harvested at one time of sexual maturity（T1）performed well in terms of appearance quality, chemical composition harmonization, and sensory quality. Therefore, when the capacity of the roasting room is sufficient, it is recommended to popularize the upper 4-piece primary maturity harvesting mode.