Nutrients are the bases of tobacco growth and leaf quality formation, and in order to explore nutrient supply of soil, nutrient absorption of tobacco plants and their compatibility as related to leaf quality during the field growth of flue-cured tobacco in southern Hunan, soil available nutrients (ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, available phosphorus and rapid available potassium), apparent fertilizer nutrient use efficiency, nutrient uptake and quality of tobacco leaves were measured and analyzed. Climatic conditions and soil temperature and humidity were also monitored. The results showed that:1) The total nitrogen (N) input (183 kg/hm²) and the proportion of basal N application (48.4%) were higher. In the early field growth period (0-36 d) of flued-cured tobacco, soil available nutrients were abundant due to the relatively high fertilizer application, but tobacco grew slowly, which led to low fertilizer use efficiencies. 2)It was difficult to deprive tobacco plants of N uptake because of belated fertilizer application at the last time (43 d), resulting in high nicotine content but low content of reducing sugar in upper leaves; 3)Low air and soil temperatures in spring were a primary factor for the slow growth of tobacco plants during the early field growth period. Considering the mismatch between fertilization pattern and nutrient needs of tobacco plants and the related key influencing factors, some countermeasures were proposed, including optimizing fertilization featured by reduction in basal fertilizer application rate and follow-up fertilizations timely and at appropriate rates, use of tobacco-specific controlled-release fertilizers, and introduction of growth promoting microorganisms, multi-purpose foliar fertilizers and exogenous carbon.