Tobacco transplants - bring healthy and successful tobacco crops
In Florida was found tobacco plants with blue mold and any plants headed to Kentucky could be infected too. Florida is a state that produced seedling plugs which then were sold in Kentucky, that’s why tobacco farmers think that their tobacco plants are infected too.
This is the main cause why tobacco farmers from Kentucky want to purchase tobacco transplants from another state. They think that these transplants will help them to grow a healthy and successful tobacco crops, because tobacco transplants can reduce the odds of bringing the unwanted diseases into tobacco fields.
Kenny Seebold, a plant pathologist with the University Of Kentucky College Of Agriculture, said: "There’s no imminent threat to producers in Kentucky at the moment, since we’re not too far along in the transplant production cycle, and recent weather patterns haven’t necessarily threatened us. On the other hand, it’s extremely important now to keep southern-grown transplants out of our state if at all possible."
"The threat from the disease is low, but the status could change quickly depending upon the extent of the epidemic in the south and the weather we experience over the next couple of months," Seebold said.
In a study was showed that any tobacco grown in Florida potentially could carry blue mold and movement of plants from there likely would mean introduction of the disease into other areas.
In states like Georgia and Tennessee tobacco plants may or may not have been exposed, and pose less of a threat.
"This threat level would increase if the disease is found in those areas, or if weather conditions and patterns indicate potential exposure. Because there is a threat, I’d say we should avoid these plants as well if at all possible," Seebold said.
The best defense against blue mold in float systems and conventional plant beds is the prevention.
From this point forward, tobacco farmers from Kentucky should manage their operations to prevent blue mold from developing in their transplants. This means good growing practices and routine application of tobacco plants from the time they are setting into the field.
Farmers now have at least six choices for tobacco transplants:
traditional plant beds, precision seeded beds, direct-seeded greenhouse plants, plug and transfer, container-grown boxed plants, and are-root plants.
The production of an ample supply of uniform, healthy plants that are available reasonably early in the transplanting season is the first step for a successful crop. But the best practice is to produce your own transplants. Doing so will reduce the likelihood of importing disease and pest problems onto your farm.
Tobacco farmers should only grow tobacco plants according to these important advices if they want to have healthy tobacco crops.
