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Edgar Vhera

Agriculture Specialist Writer

TWO weeks into the planting of irrigated tobacco for the 2024/25 season, Government has issued tips on proper transplanting of the crop to achieve the potential yield of 4, 5 tonnes per hectare.

Planting of the irrigated tobacco started on September 1 with planting of the dryland crop expected to follow later in the month of October.

It is important to transplant healthy tobacco seedlings to ensure the crop gets a good stand, which ultimately determines rate of growth, development and yields.

In an X (formerly Twitter) post, the Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services (ARDAS) said growers should uphold good agronomic practices (GAP) from the nursery.

“Ensure your seedlings are well hardened and have reached target growth stage. Water to field capacity the day before pulling when using conventional seedbeds to minimise root damage during pulling,” read the post.

Growers should construct a shade for temporal storage of seedlings and apply a fungicide a day before pulling to ensure healthy seedlings are transplanted to the field using the first in, first out principle, added the post.

“Before planting tobacco, the land ought to be properly prepared through ploughing, discing, ridging and digging of planting holes. On planting, seedlings should be placed on the centre of the hole straight down and not layered in the soil. This will ensure that roots are placed in a zone of soil that will not dry out completely, even when rain is delayed for seven to eight weeks,” explained ARDAS.

Discing is done to break soil clods into fine tilth to enhance uniform ground therefore allowing equal distribution of water.

Farmers are urged to ensure ridges are standard – 30 centimetres in height and a flat top 20cm wide, spaced 1, 2 metres or more. The flat top will enable infiltration of early rains or irrigation.

Holes should be 20cm deep to accommodate the 15cm tall seedlings and spaced at least 50cm apart to allow adequate leaf development. Guided by soil analysis results, the grower should apply basal fertilisers such as Compound C using cup 30 per station.

Adequate water of between 1, 5 and three litres must be applied per hole depending on soil texture and ability to link with residual soil moisture or alternately irrigate to field capacity.

Seedlings should be transplanted before water soaks to remove air pockets and covered with dry soil, which will act as a mulch. For the irrigated crop, light irrigation can follow the transplanting operation. Chemicals to control cut worms and wire worms should be applied.

These advisory tips come as the mother of all tobacco seasons beckons with growers expressing optimism to surpass the highest recorded hectarage, production and the set 2025 target of 300 million kilogrammes.

So far local seed sales have eclipsed all years with statistics from Kutsaga showing that 1 156 414 grammes of seed with capacity to cover 231 283 hectares of land had been sold by September 4. In addition, Kutsaga has planted commercial seedlings, which can be planted on an additional 560 hectares.

Meanwhile, stakeholders in the tobacco have urged farmers to produce quality leaf for good returns. Last season low grade tobacco earned decent yields after a production slump caused by the El Nino-induced drought.

The 2024 marketing season, which is still open to contract sales has seen 232 million kilogrammes of the golden leaf valued at US$800 million getting sold. Auction floors have since been closed.