The flue-cured tobacco grown as a reinfed crap often suffers from periodical moisture stress due to erratic rainfall especially during wet monsoon season, as in Karnataka, Studies were made on the recovery response after a period of moisture stress fallowed by alleviation at different growth stages. Eight flue- cured tobacco genotypes raised in the field during rain-free post-monsoon season under sprinker line source system were subjected to treatments on a split plot design with three repoications. Eight flue cured tobacco genotypes were selected based on their performance under line source sprinker irrigation system. At harvest, the biomas yields differed significantly with regard to type of stress, moisture regimes and genotypes. Early stress followed by cyclic stress gave significantly higher yields than did the continuous stress. Regression analysis reveled that genotypes differed in the extent of recovery response at different growth stages. The genotypic response was as below: Continuous stress-FCV Spl., Bonanza, KST-19, Mc.Nair 1040, Cocker 128. Early stress -FCV Spl., Bonanza, Mc. Nair 1 o 4 0 , Cocker 128. Cyclic stress - Bonanza, DB 27, KST-19, Mc Nair 1040. Thus it appears that a genotype rated as intrinsically drought tolerant respond differently to either early or intermittent stress.