Desuckering
- As a result of topping, the dormant bud in the axial of leaves become active and develops into shoots known as suckers.
- These unwanted suckers grow with tobacco plants after topping and compete for food, light, moisture and space.
- These suckers are very healthy and usually grow at faster rate than tobacco leaves and they not only rob the plants of their essential food elements but also harbor insect pests and disease organisms.
- To get the full benefit of topping, these suckers must be removed periodically; the process is called as desuckering.
- The main objective of topping and desuckering is to divert the carbohydrate and nutrients of the plant towards the leaves that influence the yield and quality of tobacco.
- Suckers must be removed as soon as they are large enough to be pulled (3-5 cm). This is the mechanical method of desuckering being practiced in Nepal and other developing countries.
- Desuckering is conducted 5-6 times at an interval of a week. However, manual desuckering is a time consuming, laborious and more expensive process.
- There are other chemical methods of desuckering. Many a times it is reported that chemical control of suckers increased cured leaf yield by 3-23% compared with hand desuckering.
Some of the chemical method of desuckering includes;
– 2% MH (Maleic Hydrazide) or IBA (Indole Butyric Acid) or NAA (Napthalene Acetic Acid) is recommended as an effective de-sucker.
– Pendimethalin, more often used as herbicide is found to control the suckers more effectively with significant higher leaf yield as compared to manual desuckering.
– Application of 35% neem oil emulsion (1.75 l neem oil + 0.5 l sandovit + 2.75 l water will be sufficient for 1000 plants) immediately after topping completely suppresses the suckers.
– Application of coconut oil on the top 6 axils after topping suppresses the emergence of suckers in flue-cured Virginia tobacco.
– Piercing of the stem after topping with 20-25 cm long needle is found beneficial in improving yield and quality of tobacco leaves.