The majority of the crop was planted in May, with some crops being planted in early June. Currently, most crops appear to be off to a good start, and cultivation is now occurring. Not many problems have been reported in fields yet, however, there have been a few reports of nematode, chill injury, and a case where one of the fertilizer bands at planting was too close to the plants and caused an injury.
There have been reports of Blue Mold occurrence on tobacco from the United States, where the disease has been recently reported in Pennsylvania.
There are no reports of Blue Mold occurrence here in Ontario, where the disease has not occurred since 2009. However, growers should routinely scout fields and any leftover plants in the greenhouse for signs of Blue Mold (please see photos below for some of the Blue mold symptoms). More detailed information about the identification of Blue Mold and its control can be found in the technical bulletin entitled “Tobacco Pests and Disorders in the Field – Blue Mold” posted in the Plant Protection , as well as in OMAFRA publications 842 and 843.
Yellow necrotic lesions on the upper surface of leaves at the bottom of the plant are an early symptom of Blue Mold.
Bluish-grey fuzz (Peronospora tabacina) spores on the underside of the leaf are another symptom of Blue Mold.
There have been a few growers asking about tray sanitation now that transplanting has finished. It is important to mention that unless Styrofoam trays are properly sterilized following use each year, it is not uncommon for fungi to build up in the trays and infect the plants. The CTRF has encountered Black Root Rot in Styrofoam trays over the past several years when steam has not been used to disinfect them. As of today, sterilization of Styrofoam trays with steam is the only practice that will control Black Root Rot. For more information on Black Root Rot and its control, please refer to the technical bulletin entitled “Tobacco Pests and Disorders in the Field – Black Root Rot” posted in the Plant Protection area of this website. Steam sterilization is also recommended for control of Pythium and Rhizoctonia Damping-off, please refer to the technical bulletin entitled “Tobacco Pests and Disorders in the Greenhouse – Damping off” for more information.
Post prepared and sent by Canadian Tobacco Research Foundation
Mailing Address: CTRF, P.O. Box 322, Tillsonburg, ON N4G 4H5
Telephone: 519-842-8997
Web Address: http://ctrf1.com