Online Reporter
Edgar Vhera
Specialist Writer – Agribusiness
THE Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has called on farmers to pay attention to good agronomic practices and planting time to attain high yields of 4,5 tonnes per hectare.
This notice comes after the realisation that the average national output has, over the years, been less than two tonnes per hectare.
In a notice to growers, TIMB said it was possible for farmers to achieve 4 500 kilogrammes of tobacco per hectare.
“Climate proofing through irrigation, agro-ecological zone and crop variety, among other factors, also contributes towards better yield.”
The guide disclosed that the highest yields are obtained by planting on September 1, with yields declining as the period extends into the season.
Kutsaga Research concurred in its different notices to growers, saying good agricultural practices such as early ploughing, soil and water testing, right varieties, seedbed preparation and management, transplanting, chemigation and fertilisation, barn capacity, equipment maintenance, among others, played a role in achieving the yield potential.
Kutsaga Research’s head of training, extension and public engagement, Dr Dzingai Rukuni, said planting dates also depended on locations.
“Yields are also area specific for a given planting date, for example, a specific tobacco variety planted in Marondera district versus Karoi on the same planting date, the yield in Marondera is likely to be higher because of the slow growing conditions,” he said.
This applies to other crops as a result of favourable heat units, which decrease as the season progresses.
Farmers were urged to scout and effectively control mealybug infestation of their tobacco as they embark on a journey to potentially 4,5 tonnes per hectare.
In a notice to growers, Kutsaga Research head of plant health and agriculture resilience, Dr Cleopas Chinheya, said pests had a long-term effect of reduced biomass and loss in leaf quality.
“Mealy bug damage in tobacco has been observed from transplantation right up to the curing stage in the barns if the pest is not treated.
“They feed by sucking phloem sap from the leaves, which causes them to turn yellow, wilt and dry,” he said.
Dr Chinheya said an integrated pest management approach was essential for the effective management of the pest.
“Tobacco growers are encouraged to adhere to the recommended cultural practices that have been successfully used to manage pests and diseases, such as following the ideal crop rotations, agrochemical rotation schemes and stipulated planting and sowing dates.
“Furthermore, systemic active ingredients are effective for the management of sap sucking insect pests especially mealybugs,” he added.
Online Reporter