Tobacco (Nicotiana tobacum)

 

Toxonomy

Common Name: tobacco:

Scientific Name: Nicotiana tabacum:

Family: Solanacea

Genus:          Nicotiana

Species:         tabacum

 

 

History

 

Tobacco has a long history from its usages in the early Americas. It became increasingly popular with the arrival of the Europeans by whom it was heavily traded. Following the industrial revolution, cigarettes became popularized, which fostered yet another unparalleled increase in growth. This remained so until the scientific revelations in the mid-1900s.

Tobacco had already long been used in the Americas by the time European settlers arrived and introduced the practice to Europe, where it became popular.

The origion of tobacco production in pakistan (formerly hindustan ) dates to the reign of emperor Akber , when it was introduced by the europeans.

Now a days tobacco is grown in Attock , Sialkot , Peshawer , Narowal , Sahiwal etc.

In Western Europe

  The earliest image of a man smoking a pipe, from Tabaco by Anthony Chute.The Spanish introduced tobacco to Europeans in about 1518, and by 1523, Diego Columbus mentioned a tobacco merchant of Lisbon in his will, showing how quickly the traffic had sprung up. Nicot, French ambassador in Lisbon, sent samples to Paris in 1559. The French, Spanish, and Portuguese initially referred to the plant as the "sacred herb" because of its valuable medicinal properties.

Economic Importance

Tobacco is currently the world’s most important non-food crop and contributes substantially to the economy of more than 150 countries.. However, from a more integrated perspective, one is able to appreciate the importance of this sector - as a whole - to the economy and, in particular, to tobacco growing regions. Tobacco is an important cash crop of Pakistan..

Tobacco stem contains 0.14% of nicotine which is used as insecticides.

Tobacco taxation is the main source of revenue for almost all governments. In Sri Lanka, for example, tax revenue from tobacco accounts for 10% of total taxes collected by the government.

Few industries are as complete as the tobacco industry. The tobacco industry generally occupies an important role within a country’s social and economic context. Less than 0.1% of the world’s cultivable land is occupied by tobacco plantations – less than half the land occupied by coffee.

 

Production Technology of Tobacco

Land selection and preparation:

          Tobacco can be cultivated successfully throughout the country, but the quality of leaf is highly influenced by the nature of soil and climatic conditions prevailing in particular locality. Tobacco is considering a tropical crop, but it grows throughout a wide range of latitude.

         Tobacco requires well drained light to medium-textured soils with pH 5.5-7. However loamy textured, well structured, permeable, well drained, non saline, non alkali soils with sufficient amounts of calcium and high amounts of potassium are best for tobacco cultivation.
The leaf  yield  of hukka  tobacco  is  2500-3000 kg /ha.

The leaf  yield  of  cigarette  tobacco  is  2000 kg/ha

Cultivation:                                                         

        Tobacco is cultivated similarly to other agricultural products. Seeds were at first quickly scattered onto the soil.  After the plants are about eight inches tall, they are transplanted into the fields. Farmers used to have to wait for rainy weather to plant. A hole is created in the tilled earth with a tobacco peg, either a curved wooden tool or deer antler. After making two holes to the right and left - you would move forward two feet, select plants from your bag and repeat.

Cultural Operations:

            It is well known that “Well begun is half done.“ A good seedbed is necessary to produce healthy seedlings, which are primary requisites for a good crop.

Seedbeds should be located in well drained soil close to fresh water sources.

Saline soils must be avoided.

Localities where cattle, dogs and poultry can cause damage to seedlings should be avoided.

If more than one bed is prepared in parallel, the distance between two beds must be at least 1 m in order to give easy access to the beds in the back.

Beds should be east-west oriented.

If plastic covers are used they should not be removed before germination except irrigation.

Once the beds are made they should be top dressed with 3-5 cm of well composed, well ground, clean FYM and lightly pressed.

 

 

Seed rate:

               The normal seed rate is one seedling per one square inch of area if the seedlings are to be transplanted manually, and one seedling per two sq ft if mechanical transplantation is intended. Best time for nursury raising is oct- nov 15

25 to 30 g seed is enough for raising nursery  for one hactare

 Nursery should be transplanted  after  2  to  3 months.

 Hardening

Hardening  is a process in which no water , no fertilizer is given to nursery  before 7-10 dayes of transplanting.

 Hardening prevents the seedlings from injury.

 

Sowing time:

                The optimum time for nursery sowing in plains is from the 1st week of October to November 15. In the hilly areas, the nursery should be sown by October 15.

Recommended varieties:

                  In Pakistan, hukka, snuff and cigarette tobacco are grown generally.

 In Sindh, cultivers like ‘Gandu-6’,’Kolin-24’ and ‘saijpuri’ as bidi tobacco, while ‘Sindhi karo’,’Sindhi Accho’ and ‘Sindhi Bubaki’ are grown as hukka tobacco.

In Punjab ,’Naiki’,’Gobi’,’Niswari’,’Calcutta’ and ‘Madrassi’ verities are grown.

 In KPK ‘Sufaid & Kala pata’ are most common verities. KPK     : Sufaid and kala patta

Punjab : naki , calcatta , SL-78 , SL-75   Sindh   : Rubaki , Rustica-6

Tobacco completes its life cycle in two phases

1. Nursery
2. Field

 

 

Fertilization:

The optimum recommended dose of N is 35 Kg/ha.                                                                                                                                                                 

The optimum recommended dose of P is 70 Kg/ha.                                                                                                                         

The optimum recommended dose of K is 70 Kg/ha.

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         Tobacco seedlings are ready for transplantation at the end of January when they attain height of 10-13 cm and have 5 to 6 leaves.

Topping and Desuckering:

                  Topping in Tobacco is removal of the terminal bud with or without some of the small top leaves just before or after the appearance of flower head. Immediately after topping,

 the buds in the axils of leaves, which otherwise remain dormant, become active and put forth shoots known as suckers.

The removal of these suckers is called Desuckering.

Irrigation:

            Tobacco is a leaf crop. Its water requirements are greater than other crops .

The tobacco field should be irrigated after 7-10 days. In all, tobaccos crop needs 8-12 irrigations. 4-5 ploughings followed by planking

SOIL AND CLIMATE

Tobacco needs well drained , light  to midium texture  soil with ph 5.5-7.

 saline and alkali soils should be avoided

The limiting  factors  in tobacco production are frost ,

early moonsoon rains ,

 wind storms ,

hailstorms and non availability of irrigation water.

 

 

Diseases of Tobacco:

Black shank. This disease appears both in nurseries and fields after transplantation. The fungus starts on the stem at soil level, later invades the outer tissues of the stem, and subsequently extends to the pith.

Tobacco mosaic (virus disease). Plants infected with tobacco mosaic have light or dark green patches on the leaves. Shape and surface of the leaf is unnaturally irregular and the margins bent towards the midrib. Green aphids serve as vectors for this virus. Tobacco  mosaic 

Root rot

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Insect control:

            Aphids: CRONETON 10-G, METASYSTOX R 25-EC                                                                                              Cutworm: DIPTEREX 80-SP, AGRITOX 50-EC, LARSABAN 40-EC

 

Harvesting and Curing:

             Tobacco is used for hukka and snuff is harvested and left in the field to dry for two to three days. The drying crop should be protected from rain and windstorms. After drying, the plants should be collected and put them in a pit. They should completely covered with bags or other heavy materials, and left covered for about a week.

 A peculiar type of smell produced by bacterial action will indicate curing.

After  muturity  haravesting  is  done  manually 

Crop is  dried  for  2-3 days

Curing

Curing is a process in which dried crop is collected  and  burried  in a pit  for  10-15 days for bacterial  fermentation

 Then ropes  are made

 

Jute Crop

(1)Botanical Classification:

Botanical name:                               Corchorus capsularis , Corchorus Olitorius

Family:                                                     Sparrmanniaceae

Kingdom:                                                  Plantae          

Class:                                                 Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons

Order:                                                       Malvales

Genus:                                             Corchorus L.

Species:                                                  Corchorus olitorius L.

 

(2) Origin and History:

  n Jute has been used since ancient times in Africa and Asia to provide a cordage weaving fibre from the stem and food from the leaves. During the era of great Mughal emperor Akbar, the poor villagers of India used to wear clothes made of jute. The first jute mill started production in Bengal in 1856.

(3) Economic Importance:

  n  It is used in the extraction of the fiber. It is used in the making of gunny bags, ropes and jute carpets. Making of coarse cloths is it’s another important use. Jute is the second most important vegetable fiber after cotton. Jute is used chiefly to make cloth for wrapping bales of raw cotton, and to make sacks and coarse cloth. The fibers are also woven into curtains, chair coverings, carpets, area rugs, Hessian cloth, and backing for linoleum.

      

 

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(4) Soil Type:

   Alluvial sandy loam, clay loamy soils

(5) Temperature Requirement:

     24   C– 27   C  

(6) Land Preparation:

      3-4 ploughings followed by 2 planking is enough to prepare the seed bed for the sowing of jute.

 (7) Time of sowing:

       Sowing of jute in midlands and high lands starts with showers in March or April and continues till early June in the western part of the jute belt. However, best time for sowing is April & May.

(8) Seed Rate:

       Seed rate for jute in broadcast method is 8-10 kg/acre. While for drill method 3-4 kg/acre seed is used.

 (9) Irrigation Requirement:

       Jute requires 10-12 irrigations.

(10) Fertilizer Requirement:

      Five tonns of well decomposed farm yard manure is to be applied during last ploughing.

                   N             P           K

                  80           50          30      (kg/ha)

 

 

 

 

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(11) Varieties:

(a) Capsularis:

          JRC-212,      JRC-321,     JRC-7447

(b) Olitorius:

         JRO-524,      JRO-878,     JRO-835

      Others:

       CIC; D-154, D-386, C-42, C32

CIO: R-26

(12) Crop Duration:

       120 to 140 days.

(13) Harvesting:

      Jute crop can be harvested from 100 to 120 DAS (days after sowing) but can be extended from 120 to 150 DAS. Jute plants are left in the field for 3-4 days for leaf shedding.

(14) Yield:

   Green plant weight yield is 45 to 50 tonnes per hectare.

    Fibre yield is 2.0 to 2.5 tonnes per hectare.