Irrigation

• Water requirement of tobacco crop depends on its type and the region where it is grown.
• Over irrigation produces slick leaf with dirty color whereas under-irrigation restricts crop growth and the curing of the leaves becomes difficult.
• In light soils 6-8 irrigations are required for flue-cured while more frequent irrigations are required for cigar tobacco.
• The requirement of water after a month of transplanting rises to maximum and declines after flower budding.
• The optimum soil moisture before blooming should be 70% of FC and 40-50% during blooming. In relatively dry areas, mulching gives better water use efficiency.
• In Nepal, two light irrigations are given after 30 and 50 days after transplanting depending upon the requirement.

Irrigation Scheduling

• Water must be supplied daily to the young seedlings in the seedbed even when evapo-transpiration is moderate.
• At the end of the seedbed period water is withheld for a few days.
• Immediately before and during transplanting water is supplied to the plants individually to help them through the first weeks after transplanting.
• During the rapid growth period, water should be supplied frequently. During the early yield formation period, at flowering, few deep irrigations may be sufficient to obtain optimum yields of high quality.
• When water is limited, water should be applied at transplanting, during the period of rapid growth, and during the early yield formation period.

Irrigation Methods

• Surface and sprinkler irrigation are mostly practiced.
• The quality of the water is important in selecting the most suitable irrigation method, e.g. sprinkler irrigation should be avoided when only low quality water is available.