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CORESTA Meeting, Agronomy/Phytopathology, 2011, Santiago, AP 31

Evaluation of Super Harvest (Flumetralin + Butralin) suckeride in tobacco

MUNTHALI F.C.; MAGULU R.K.
ARET, Agricultural Research and Extension Trust, Lilongwe, Malawi

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the sucker control efficiency of the suckerides Super Harvest (Flumetralin + Butralin), Butralin and Antak, and the yield and quality of tobacco in Malawi. Non chemical treatments were also included as control treatments and consisted of hand removal of suckers with normal topping time and topped but not suckered until end of harvesting. The experiment was conducted on both flue-cured tobacco at Mwimba and burley tobacco at Mwimba and Kandiya Research Stations. The treatments were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The gross plot size was 6 ridges x 12 plants per ridge at a ridge spacing of 1.2 m with 0.6 m spacing between plants. The net plot was 20 plants of the two middle ridges with the end plants on each side of the ridge discarded. Application of Super Harvest resulted in the best sucker control at 81% in flue at Mwimba, 77 and 69% in burley at Mwimba and Kandiya, respectively. Except for burley at Kandiya, Super Harvest with the highest degree of sucker control also gave the highest cured leaf yield of 3601 kg/ha for burley and 2840 kg/ha for flue at Mwimba. The different treatments had no influence on leaf quality and grade in burley tobacco. Tobacco treated with Super Harvest produced the highest proportion of mahogany leaf colour, while the third grade leaf was the most predominant with the nil desuckering treatment in flue-cured tobacco. Super Harvest gave the best sucker control and the highest yield in both burley and flue-cured tobacco.