Welcome to the Georgia Tobacco
Hotline
July
31 , 2002
1-800-659-7288
J. Michael Moore,
Editor
University of Georgia
Extension Agronomist-Tobacco
Topics
for this issue include:
-
Weather/Crop Conditions
-
Southern Area Flue-Cured Tobacco Auctions -
Type 13 Daily Comments for July 30 , 2002
- Georgia Tobacco Tour Photos on the Web
-
Realistic Expectations of Yellowing Agents for Flue-Cured Tobacco
Weather/Crop
Conditions
Temperatures last week were above normal, but slightly cooler than the previous
week, according to the Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service. A low pressure
system moved through the State during the week and brought isolated thunderstorms
and heavy rains to several areas. Showers gave a boost to the State's crops
and pastures; still, soil conditions remain critically low.
County Extension Agents estimated that as of July 28, 2002 approximately 40% of the state's tobacco had been harvested, compared to 31% for the previous week, 36% for July 28, 2001, and 43% for the 5 year average.
Tobacco
conditions in the field was rated as 18% Very Poor, 23% Poor, 35% Fair, 21%
Good and 3% Excellent.
http://www.nass.usda.gov/weather/cpcurr/ga-crop-weather
Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus losses continue to reduce the crop as entire plants turn yellow and leaves fall off the stalk before harvest.
Black shank is showing up in numerous fields with a number of samples submitted to the Pathology Department determined to be Race 1 and causing significant losses to varieties rated as highly resistant to the more common Race 0.
Southern
Area Flue-Cured Tobacco Auctions
- Type 13 Daily Comments For July 30, 2002
USDA FEDERAL-STATE Auction Day No. 1
Southern Area flue-cured tobacco auctions began Tuesday, with four of the eleven markets holding sales. Carry-over leaf dominated sales in South Carolina and North Carolina, with Georgia markets offering mostly new crop tobacco.
Group percentages were as follows: leaf 90; smoking leaf 2; cutters 2; lugs 1 and primings 2 percent. Around nine out of every ten lots were either good or fair quality tobacco, with orange (F) and variegated (K) the dominant colors. Grade bid averages for desirable old crop carry-over leaf brought mostly from $186 to $194 per hundred, while lower quality leaf offerings were around the $179 mark.
New crop tobacco, which was light in volume, averaged mostly from $156 to $178. Demand was good in South Carolina and North Carolina. However, demand was light in Georgia with most new crop offerings selling $1 above their price support, with growers rejecting several of these bids.
Loan receipts appeared to be light. Last year on opening day, 1,598,000 gross pounds auctioned for $185.28 per hundred, with 8.3 percent of sales placed under loan. Auction bid averages at noon, on heavy volume grades, and comparisons to opening day of the previous season follow:
($$
per cwt.) U.S. Auction Change From Opening Grade Bid Day Last Season
----- ------- -------------
B4F $194 Up $2
B3K $194 Up $2
B4K $186 Down $2
B5K $179 Down $1
B3KM $185 Up $1
C4F $178 No Comparison
Georgia
Tobacco Tour Photos on the Web
A photo album of images from the 2002 Georgia Tobacco Tour are posted on the
University of Georgia Tobacco Web Page. Look who attended or presented and
what they saw.
2002 Georgia Tobacco Tour Image Photo Album
http://www.georgiatobacco.com
Realistic
Expectations of Yellowing Agents for Flue-Cured Tobacco
After a season of drought, disease, insects and heat growers
many growers become tired of the crop and ready for the final harvest. Especially
for fields which have significant losses to tomato spotted wilt virus resulting
in missing plants and greener than normal remaining plants, growers often want
to reduce the labor bill and complete the harvest so they do not have to look
at the field anymore.
Growers should not expect available yellowing chemicals to unrealistically accelerate
the yellowing process for tobacco which is not yet ripe. Applying this naturally
plant produced chemical will help leaves which are within days of yellowing
normally and which are almost ripe to yellow a few days earlier than normal.
However, tobacco which is still truely green from a continued supply of nitrogen is not ripe, will not yellow when ethephon is applied and often results in cured tobacco which is green and of lower quality than its original potential. In addition to not causing unripe tobacco to turn yellow, misuse of Yellowing Agents may result in the harvest of too many leaves from too many stalk positions in order to avoid having to spend more time, labor and money to separate the remaining leaves into multiple harvests.
Growers are encouraged to take their time with harvest, Wait for the tobacco to ripen naturally, Separate leaves into multiple harvests according to the requirements of purchasing companies, and Use Yellowing Agents as intended to moderately accelerate the yellowing of tobacco which is Mature, Ripe and beginning to yellow naturally.
Below is the table of available Yellowing Agents for flue-cured tobacco from the 2002 Georgia Tobacco Growers Guide.
|
CHEMICAL TYPE |
CHEMICAL
AND FORMULATION |
RATE
PER ACRE |
REMARKS AND PRECAUTIONS |
| YELLOWING AGENT |
ethephon (Ethrel) 2 lb/gal ethephon ethephon ethephon |
2 - 4 qt 1.33 - 2.66 pt 1.33 - 2.66 pt 1.33 - 2.66 pt |
Use after second
or third priming when remaining leaves are physiologically mature.
Directed Spray: Mix the lower amount in 50 to 60 gal of water and apply on a warm, sunny day as a fine spray mist with drop nozzles which direct the spray so that all mature leaves are covered. This treatment may make determining which leaves to harvest a little difficult as the tips of some upper leaves may yellow more rapidly than the butts. Harvest all leaves with 20% or more yellowing. Over the Top: Use the higher rate in 40 to 60 gal of water for an acreage of coverage. Apply to all remaining leaves on the stalk. Determining time of application requires some experience and some trial and error; therefore, use a test kit to treat a few plants and observe the results before treating the whole field. Harvest yellowed leaves when they reach desired degree of yellowness, usually within 24 to 72 hours. Harvest may be completed the day after treatment. Excessive delay in harvest may result in loss of yield and quality or leaf drop. Tobacco which is sufficiently mature when treated and which yellows prior to harvest may require an advanced curing schedule with reduced yellowing time. Close attention should be paid to the curing schedule. |
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