Tissue Sampling Can Improve Quality of Cured Tobacco Leaf

Source from:  Special to the Journal 08/24/2005

Picking the right time to harvest flue-cured tobacco is important in the curing process and how the tobacco will ultimately be graded. Since the grade helps determine the price, any advantage a farmer can gain in ensuring harvest at the mot favorable time will have a positive effect on the bottom line. Plant tissue analysis provided by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Agronomic Division offers farmers guidance on managing and harvesting tobacco. Tracking nitrogen in flue-cured leaf tissue can help determine relative ripeness and estimate optimum timing of harvest. Leaf nitrogen content decreases as tobacco ripens. The Agronomic Division has established target nitrogen ranges to predict ripe tobacco for the lower, middle and upper stalk positions. Dan Ward of Bladen County, like a number of flue-cured tobacco growers, uses plant tissue analysis to improve leaf quality and profitability. "In the past couple of years, I monitored nitrogen in the leaves of my tobacco grown on two different soil types," Ward said. "Leaf tissue sampling gives me a comfort level that the tobacco is ripe and helps me schedule harvest. Simply put, the nitrogen numbers were right and it cured. The tobacco was consistent, it graded well and it sold." Ward is growing 92 acres of flue-cured tobacco this year, an increase from 2004. "I credit my increased acreage to the improvement in quality," he said. Rodney Rodgers, a Stokes County tobacco farmer, is experimenting with tissue sampling. "The nature of growing and selling tobacco has changed since the buyout. Lower contract prices have caused us to evaluate the feasibility of growing tobacco," Rodgers said. "Now, more than ever, optimizing yield, quality and efficiency are top priorities-that's why we are tissue sampling this year." Accurate results depend on representative sampling and proper sample submission. In monitoring leaf tissue for ripeness, samples must be coded on the plant information sheet as harvest leaf (H) and designated by stalk position (L, lower; M, middle; or U, upper). Turnaround time for testing is usually two working days and the results are available online. A fee of $4 per sample is due upon submission. Correct packaging and shipping are also important to ensure reliable results and recommendations. Packages should be addressed to the Plant Tissue Laboratory, NCDA&CS Agronomic Division. The address is 1040 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1040. Delivery through private carriers such as UPS, FedEx or DHL should be labeled with the following street address: 4300 Reedy Creek Road, Raleigh, NC 27607. The Plant/Waste/Solution Section's Web site, www.ncagr.com/agronomi/pwshome.htm, has several links that provide assistance in sampling flue-cured tobacco for ripeness and give the target nitrogen ranges for harvest of lower, middle and upper stalk positions. For further assistance in collecting tissue samples and/or interpreting results, N.C. tobacco growers should contact their NCDA&CS regional agronomist, Cooperative Extension agent or other crop advisors. The Field Crops Agent in the Bladen County office of Cooperative Extension is Ryan Harrelson. His telephone number is 862-4591. Regional Agronomist Rick Morris may be contacted at 866-4456. Enditem