Bertie County Tobacco Tips
3
Bertie County Tobacco Tips Jarette Hurry June 2017 Topping tobacco in the button stage (soon after the flower begins to appear) rather than late increases yield and body if suckers are controlled. When tobacco plants are not topped for three weeks after reaching the button stage, yields are reduced by 20 to 25 pounds per acre per day, or close to 1% per acre per day when normal yields range from 2,000 t- 2,500 pounds per ace. The first contact application should be made as soon as 50% to 60% of the plants have a visible button. Timing of Chemical application is important because neither contacts nor flumetralin will adequately control suckers longer than one inch. Coverage of leaf axils and stalk rundown are essential for contact applications. Contacts should be applied with three nozzles per row, at low pressure with 50 gallons per acre delivery volume. The suggested ration for the first application of C8-C10 contact alcohol products is two gallons in 48 gallons of water; this makes a 4% solution. A 5% solution is suggested for the second or third application; this is 2 ½ gallons in 47.5 gallons of water. Contacts are more effective if applied three to five days apart when humidity is low and leaf axils are fully exposed. This is generally between 10am and 6pm on sunny days, except when plants are wilted and temperatures exceed 90°F. Contacts should not be applied to plants that are wet with rain or heavy dew or that are severely drought stressed. Contacts (Fatty Alcohols)
Transcript of Bertie County Tobacco Tips
Bertie County Tobacco Tips
Jarette Hurry
June 2017
Topping tobacco in the button stage (soon after the flower begins to appear) rather than late increases yield and body if suckers are controlled. When tobacco plants are not topped for three weeks after reaching the button stage, yields are reduced by 20 to 25 pounds per acre per day, or close to 1% per acre per day when normal yields range from 2,000 t- 2,500 pounds per ace.
Thefirstcontactapplicationshouldbemadeassoonas50%to60%oftheplantshaveavisiblebutton.TimingofChemicalapplicationisimportantbecauseneithercontactsnorflumetralinwilladequatelycontrol suckers longer thanone inch. Coverageof leafaxilsand stalk rundownareessentialforcontactapplications.Contactsshouldbeappliedwiththreenozzlesperrow,atlowpressurewith50gallonsperacredeliveryvolume.ThesuggestedrationforthefirstapplicationofC8-C10contactalcoholproductsistwogallonsin48gallonsofwater;thismakesa4%solution.A5%solutionissuggestedforthesecondorthirdapplication;thisis2½gallonsin47.5gallonsofwater.
Contactsaremoreeffectiveifappliedthreetofivedaysapartwhenhumidityislowandleafaxilsarefullyexposed.Thisisgenerallybetween10amand6pmonsunnydays,exceptwhenplantsarewiltedandtemperaturesexceed90°F.Contactsshouldnotbeappliedtoplantsthatarewetwithrainorheavydeworthatareseverelydroughtstressed.
Contacts(FattyAlcohols)
Flumetralinshouldbeappliedlikeacontactsolutionbutnotuntiltheplantsareintheelongatedbuttontoearlyflowerstage.Theobjectiveistoapplyflumetralinsothatittouchesthesmallsuckerslikecontactsolutions do because, unlike MH, flumetralin does not move to sucker buds through the leaves.Flumetralinmustfirstwetthesuckerslikea fattyalcoholcontactbefore itcanstopcelldivision likeasystemic.Flumetralinshouldbeappliedlikeacontactsolution.Eventhoughtheflumetralinlabelallowsforapplicationofuptoonegallonperacre,thegeneralrecommendationhasbeenforapplicationratesoftwoquartsperacre.Increasingflumetralinratesfromquartsperacretothreequartsoronegalloninasinglemechanicalapplicationhasnotconsistentlyimprovedsuckercontrol,primarilybecausecontrolisso dependent on coverage of all leaf axils, which is not improved by increasing flumetralin rates.However,applicationoftwoquartsofflumetralinfollowedbyonequartofflumetralinsevendayslaterimproves sucker control compared to three quarts of flumetralinapplied ina single application. Thiswouldindicatethatincreasingratesofflumetralinabovetwoquartsperacreisonlyadvantageousiftheflumetralinisappliedinasplitapplication.Itislikelythatsplitapplicationsreducethenumbermissedleafaxils.
UseofFlumetralin
Unlikefattyalcoholcontactsandflumetralin,MHisabsorbedbyleavesandmoveswithintheplanttosmallsucker buds. Good absorption and systemic movement depends on having good crop growing conditions.Therefore,MHshouldneverbeappliedondroughtstressedcropsoronthosewiltedbytoomuchrain,hightemperatures,orboth.Ifsoilmoistureisadequatebutafternoontemperatureswillbehighenoughtocausepartialwilting,MHshouldbeappliedonlyduringthemorning,startingwhentheleavesarejustslightlywetwithdew. AfternoonSprayinggenerallyisnotsuggestedexceptoncool,cloudydayswhensoilmoistureisgood.
MHisabsorbedmoreeffectivelybyyounger,upperleavesthanbyolder,lowerleaves.Therefore,MHshouldbeappliedtotheupperthirdoftheplantusingthethree-nozzles-per-rowarrangement.
MostMHlabelsstipulatethatitmustnotbeappliedbeforetheupperleavesareeightincheslongtoreducepossible stunting, a discoloration called “bronzing”, or both. These abnormalities are sometimes observedwhen MH is applied on leaves longer than eight inches. Growth distortion of upper leaves treated withflumetralinalsooccurs,butlessfrequentlythanthatassociatedwithMH.Researchsuggeststhatthelikelihoodof discoloration and stunting fromMH applications is greatly reducedwhen applications are delayed untilupperleavesare16incheslong.
KnowhowmuchMHisintheproductyouuse.Forexample,oneproductcontains1.50poundsactiveingredientperacrewhichwouldrequire1gallon/acre.Anotherproductcontains2.25poundsactiveingredientperacrewhichonlyrequires.66gallonsperacre.Yourtargetrateshouldbe1.5pounds’activeingredientperacre.
MHresiduescanalsobereducedwhentheintervalbetweenapplicationandharvestismaximized.TheMHlabelstatesthatyoushouldwaitatleastsevendaysbetweenMHapplicationandharvest,withtheanticipationthatrainfallduringthisperiodwillwashoffsomeresidues.IftobaccoisreadyforMHapplicationandharvest,makeeveryattempttoharvestfirst,thenapplyMH.DelayharvestafterMHapplicationaslongaspossible.Itwillmostlikelybeatleastsevendaysbeforethecropwillbereadyforanotherharvest.ThiswillensureMHfreefirstprimings.
ForMoreinformationonsuckercontrolreferencechapter7inthe2016FlueCuredTobaccoProductionguide.
MH
JaretteHurryBertieCountyCenterNorthCarolinaCooperativeExtension104DundeeSt.,POBox280Windsor,NC27983Email–[email protected](252)794-5317Fax(252)794-5375
North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.
