Impact of Time of Weeding on Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) Growth and Yield

Abstract

An experiment laid in a Randomized Complete Block Design with 4 blocks and 5 treatments, was done at Kutsaga Research Station in the 2012 / 2013 season to study the impact of time of weeding on tobacco production. The treatments comprised of different times of weed control with a weed free treatment as the control. The variables measured were stalk heights at 5, 6 and 7 weeks after planting and, leaf expansion measurements were also recorded at 9, 10 and 11 weeks. Leaf yield was measured at untying using a digital scale. Results showed that Tobacco stalk heights were affected at 5 W.A.P since significant differences ( < 0.05) were noted among the treatments. Suppressive effects of weeds were shown at 6 and 7 W.A.P due to effective competition (RCI > 0) in all other treatments excluding the control. There were significant differences ( < 0.05) among the treatments on leaf expansion at 9, 10 and 11 W.A.P. The treatment weeded at 4 W.A.P showed leaf yield that was significantly higher (L.S.S = 270.8) than the treatment weeded at 2 W.A.P. Basing on the 3 reaps recorded, time of weeding had an influence tobacco yield.

Evaluation of the use of polyethylene mulches in the production of organic flue‐cured tobacco

“…Higher growth rates and subsequent yields in all mulch treatments when compared with bare ground treatments may be attributed to several variables including soil warming (Figures 2 and 3), reduced weed pressure (Table 2) and particularly in BBTRS, a less drastic decrease in plant available nitrogen (Figure 4). Tobacco yields are significantly reduced by weed competition (Ian et al, 2013;Vann et al, 2021) and lower total available N in the early part of the growing season (Collins & Hawks, 1993). When biomass production of fruiting crops was investigated, red and black mulches resulted in higher leaf biomass production (Decoteau, 2008;Torres-Olivar et al, 2016).…”