Tobacco

Scientific Name
Nicotiana tabacum, N. rustica
pH
5.5-6.5
Temperature
20-30 deg. C for germination and 25-30 deg. C for better growth
Rainfall
1000-1200mm
Humidity
70-80%
Altitude
Terai range
Sowing Time
Ashoj-Mangsir
Seed Rate
2-3g per 10sq. m nursery bed or 2-3kg for 1ha
Spacing
FCV=[80cm x 60cm] and for Belachapi-1 [80cm x 80cm]
Fertilizer Application
Compost @25kg/10 sq. m
NPK @ 40:60:60 kg per ha
For FCV [35:23:60 kg NPK per ha] is national recommendation
for chewing and hookah type [50:70:90 kg NPK per ha]
Weeds
Orobanche
Weeding
15, 30 and 45 DAT; three hand weeding or mechanical hand weeding
Weed Management
Manual weeding
Irrigation
at least two irrigations 30DAT and 50DAT
Harvesting Index
Leaf mature and ripen.Color of leaf starts to change to yellow color and leaves become thick and sticky to touch, 60-70 DAT, Lower leaves start yellowing first.
Harvesting
Lower 2-3 leabes are harvested and upper leaves are harvested only after ripening which may take few weeks depending upon local condition.
Post Harvest Activities
Curing of tobacco is done and ultimately fine tobacco is used to prepare Cigarette, Cigar, hookah, etc
Marketing
Marketed in form of smoking materials like cigarette, cigar, hookah, bidi, tobacco(chewing),etc
Insect
hornworms, flea beetles, aphids, cut- worms, green June beetle larvae, tobacco budworms, and wireworms.
[Proper rabbin during nursery can solve enough problems however IPM may be practiced as per need]
Disease
Alternaria leaf spot (Brown spot) Alternaria alternata[Rotating crop away from tobacco can help to reduce the levels of inoculum in a field; stalks and roots left after harvest should be removed and destroyed; control nematodes in the soil; ensure plants have adequate potassium available to promote vigorous growth.]
Blue mold Peronospora tabacina[Avoid over fertilizing tobacco crop and the use of overhead irrigation which created favorable conditions for the development of the fungus; applications of appropriate protective fungicides is usually necessary to control the disease in temperate and subtropical areas.]
Frogeye leaf spot Cercospora nicotianae [Remove and burn the infected leaves. Follow crop rotation. Keep the field free from weeds. Follow proper crop density. If the disease is severe apply suitable fungicides.]
Black shank Phytophthora parasitica [Rotating the crop away from tobacco for at least one year will help to reduce levels of inoculum; plant tobacco varieties that have some degree of resistance to the disease; apply appropriate fungicides to the soil; plant tobacco in well draining soils; destroy stalks and roots immediately after harvest to reduce overwintering sites for the pathogen; control nematodes in the soil.]
Broomrape Orobanche cernua [Deep summer ploughing helps in exposing weed seeds to sunlight and reduce weed population. Remove the emerged weeds before flowering and burn them (hand weeding). Rotating the crop with sorghum, black gram etc., to reduce weed population.]
Varieties

Belachapi-1 for Terai