Zimbabwe: Tobacco Farmers Warned of Two Viruses

Source from:  The Herald (Harare) 11 September 2008 09/12/2008

THE Tobacco Research Board (TRB) has called on tobacco farmers to be on the lookout for the tobacco bushy-top virus and the potato virus Y (PVY), saying there is an upsurge in the number of tobacco aphids, the main transmitter of the diseases. The board has noticed an increase in this season's tobacco aphid numbers compared to those in previous years. "There has been an upsurge in the numbers of aphids caught from March 2008. This means that the 2008/2009 season will start with higher aphid numbers than previous years," said the board in a warn and caution statement this week. "Growers should therefore take the necessary precautions to prevent crop losses both in the seedbed and field." The board has given the following as the most effective management options farmers can take up against the aphid and the diseases it transmits: Early planting and adherence to legislated dates for sowing tobacco seed; Planting seedlings out in the land, destroying used seedbeds and tobacco stalks in the fields. Furthermore, said TRB, chemical control measures in seedbeds and fields should be adhered to. Growers who plant late, research has shown that planting hole aphicides provides better control than latter applications in the fields. The board has pledged to continue monitoring the aphid catches and says it will issue another statement before the commencement of the main dryland plantings to ensure that farmers go into the fields well equipped with the latest developments on the tobacco aphids and the diseases they transmit. In an interview, an expert with the Agriculture Research and Extension Services department of Plant Protection Research Institute said farmers should seriously consider the warning and take precautionary measures. "Pests have proved to be one of the major problems that affect production,"he said, speak on condition he was not named. "Despite the efforts we invest in achieving good yields, every serious farmer should be prepared for potential outbreaks and put in place contingent plans and mechanisms to control diseases and pests," he said. Enditem