Ensure optimum growing conditions for seedlings

Once the seedbeds are seeded it is time to place the plants in the most favourable growing conditions for their development and make the treatments recommended by your technicians. Lack of sufficient time or various constraints in materials results in their less than optimum application.
 
We consider the following advice as essential for phytosanitary purposes:

- Ensure optimum irrigation and good drainage of plants;
- Carefully monitor the moisture and temperature of substrates. Many accidents are related to overwatered plants that are placed in a cold environment;
- When a problem occurs, do identify it with certainty, in order to correct it quickly and efficiently;
- Follow the instructions recommended by your technicians, in particular for good ventilation of shelters. Remember that Peronospora hyoscyami f.sp. tabacina (downy mildew), can also be a serious disease in nursery, so apply the appropriate treatment;
- Avoid producing very strong or very etiolated plantlets, or wait long before transplanting. In general do not plant damaged seedling;
- Control the pests, particularly aphids and slugs, and weeds in nurseries because their presence can lead to viral infections;
- Before treating, check that your equipment has been rinsed and you use the right pesticide  concentration;
- Remove all plant debris from the shelter and do not store them nearby;
- When producers buy their plants, check  their quality before transplanting them into the field. To do so, do not hesitate to completely wash some root systems and observe them carefully.
 
To conclude, plant quality is a guarantee of future smooth running of the tobacco production. Therefore, it must be blameless. We have seen that the quality of the tobacco seed and substrates normally respond to this requirement. Indeed, the success of plant growth depends almost entirely on the implementation of the recommended sanitation measures and the care taken by the producer in this critical phase of tobacco production. The seedling production is not easy and the producers should not forget they are dealing with a particularly sensitive and vulnerable plant material in late winter, often grown under extreme conditions.