TOBACCO ZERO WASTE TRAIL, SPAIN 2015

DELTAFINA SPAIN and IBERTABACO, S.C. decided to sign a relationship with FRABELSE to carry out  a trail in 2015 season, in order to study the viability and the future prospects of the tobacco crop using only organic products as fertilizers and CPA, regarding to achieve tobacco free of chemical residues and also Nitrate-free.

This trail was developed in the farm of one of the IBERTABACO, S.C. members, in a field with 1,36 ha, using only  products supplied by FRABELSE in combination with a biological suckericide; some of the different products are the following:

EM AGRO (microorganisms)

SUPER K (supplier of potassium using Carbon Micro Technology)

CARBOTERRA (Nematicide and fungicide using Carbon Micro Technology)

PT4 (soil activator)

PHOX MAX (supplier of Phosphorus using Carbon Micro Technology)

GRREN FACTOR (Nitrogen fixer)

During the season we tried to test different things, but at the end the most useful information was: yield, tobacco quality and residues. All this main parameters compared with the traditional production in Spain and looking for the sustainability of this kind of crop management in the future.

The main conclusions are available in the following paragraph but one of the most important conclusion was the need to continue developing this project in the next 2-3 years to achieve a better knowledge of this new technology.

 

CONCLUSIONS

1. The main objective of this trial is free-Nitrate tobacco production, so we appraised the performance of the Green Factor on Tobacco cultivation.
2. The tobacco zero waste had a later initial development regarding the tobacco treated with conventional nematicides.

In the following stages of the plant, it has had a more precocious development and growth thanks to the action of Green Factor. Green Factor has worked accelerating the crop cycle, resulting a faster maturation and an earlier harvesting.

1. The development of the tobacco zero waste has been normal, developing leafs with higher dry matter content. The plant has grown healthier than conventional tobacco thanks to the less accumulation of water in leaf.
2. With Green Factor the cycle of the plant has been advanced between 7 – 10 days, representing a saving of irrigation and also in curing.
3. When we use the biological suckericide, we have the advantage that we haven´t any waste on leaf, so we can harvest in the optimal moment of maturity of the leaf.
4. Only one application of the biological suckericide has been 100% effective. In the conventional tobacco we had need two applications, one of them with fatty alcohol + pendimethalin and the other one with maleic-hidrazide. This also represents a saving on diesel tractor because you only need a treatment to remove suckers.
5. The cost of fertilizer + nematicide is lower in the tobacco zero waste than the conventional tobacco.
6. In the curing process we noticed a higher yield on dry matter than conventional tobacco. The same kg. of green tobacco get more kg. of dry tobacco with precision fertilizer zero waste  (2,67%).
7. Tobacco zero waste management represents savings in fertilizer, irrigation, CPA´s, biomass and electricity so it looks like very positive for the next future.

 

Rosalejo, 2015. December 4^th

 

 

Prepared by: Juan José Manzanero (IBERTABACO SC)