How to provide the tobacco plant with required nutrients

Check out our tobacco fertilizer recommendations, using Haifa's fertilizers

Fertilization of flue cured - Virginia

Requirements

N

P2O5

K2O

-----------kg / Ha-----------

90

75

220

A - Pre-plant soil application

Nutrient

N

P2O5

K2O

% of total requirement applied at this stage

10%

100%

 
Practical application rate (kg/ha)

9

75

66

Common practice in Zimbabwe*

Fertilizer

Rate (kg/ha)

Total plant nutrients (kg/ha)

N

P2O5

K2O

2-17-15 *

450

9

75

66

* this N-P-K formula can be replaced by other locally common N-P-K formula or by straight fertilizers (ammonium nitrate, SSP, SOP etc.).

B - Fertigation

Nutrient

N

P2O5

K2O

% of total requirement applied at this stage

90%

0%

 70%
Practical application rate (kg/ha)

80

0

153

Growth stage (Weeks after planting)

% N required by stage

Optimal ratio N:P2O5:K2O

kg. /Ha. / Week

N

P2O5

K2O

2

2

1 : 0 : 0

1.6

0

0

3

3

1 : 0 : 0

2.5

0

0

4

10

1 : 0 : 1

8.1

0

8.1

5

25

1 : 0 : 1

20

0

20

6

25

1 : 0 : 2

20

0

40

7

20

1 : 0 : 3

16

0

48

8

10

1 : 0 : 3

8.1

0

24

9

5

1 : 0 : 3

4.0

0

12

Total

80

0

152

Growth stage (Weeks after planting)

Fertilizers

Ratio

kg./ ha./Week

kg./ha./Week

N: P2O5 : K2O

N: P2O5 : K2O

2

A.N.

(34- 0- 0)

4.7

1.6

   

Total

1 : 0 : 0

 

1.6

0

0

3

A.N.

(34- 0- 0)

7.6

2.5

   

Total

1 : 0 : 0

 

2.5

0

0

4

Multi-K

(13-0-46)

17.6

2.2

 

8.1

A.N.

(34- 0- 0)

20.0

5.9

   

Total

1 : 0 : 1

 

8.1

0

8.1

5

Multi-K

(13-0-46)

43.5

5.6

0

20.0

A.N.

(34- 0- 0)

42.4

14.4

   

Total

1 : 0 : 1

 

20

0

20

6

Multi-K

(13-0-46)

40.3

5.2

0

8.5

A.N.

(34- 0- 0)

39.2

13.3

   

Total

1 : 0 : 1

 

18.5

0

18.5

7

Multi-K

(13-0-46)

32.7

4.2

 

15

A.N.

(34- 0- 0)

31.8

10.8

   

Total

1 : 0 : 1

 

15.0

0

5.0

8

A.N.

(34- 0- 0)

22.1

7.5

   

Total

1 : 0 : 0

 

7.5

0

0

9

A.N.

(34- 0- 0)

10.3

3.5

   

Total

1 : 1 : 1

 

3.5

0

0

Oriental tobacco

source: Dimitris Stamboulidis (Moscholois Chemicals S.A)

 

 

The practice in Katerini:

     

A few days after transplanting:      
40 kg/str (=400 kg/ha) of 4-14-30   
25 kg/str (=250 kg/ha) of 0-20-0   
35 kg/str (=35 kg/ha) of 0-0-50   

 

20 days after transplanting: 10 kg/str (=100 kg/ha) of Multi-K as side dressing

 

Side dressing:
     
1) Oriental Tobacco:      

N - 2-4 Kg/str   
P2O- 6-8 Kg/str   
K2O - 8-12 Kg/str   

 

2) Flue-cured (Virginia):      
N - 5-10 Kg/str   
P2O- 8-14 Kg/str   
K2O - 15-22 Kg/str   

 

3) Burley:      
N - 14-20 Kg/str   
P2O5 - 20-35 Kg/str   
K2O - 20-25 Kg/str

Macro-nutrients removed by 1 ton marketable product

N

P

K

Ca

Mg

S

-------------------------------------- Kg/ton ------------------------------------------

50-70

6.0

55-70

30-60

8-20

6-12

Light (air cured) tobacco

N

P

K

Ca

Mg

S

-------------------------------------- Kg/ton ------------------------------------------

30-70

6.0

55-70

30-60

8-20

6-12

Oven cured tobacco

N

P

K

Ca

Mg

S

-------------------------------------- Kg/ton ------------------------------------------

30-35

6.0

55-70

30-60

8-20

6-12

Source: Kinoch: VOLHOUBARE LANDBOU, RSA. Processed by Frans Lourens, Haifa, RSA May, 1999.

Nutrient sufficiency ranges

(source: A & L, Agronomy Handbook, Ankerman & Large, Eds., 1991)

Tobacco

N

S

P

K

Mg

Ca

Na

B

Zn

Mn

Fe

Cu

Al

------------------------ % -------------------------

--------------- p.p.m ---------------
From

3.00

0.25

0.25

2.50

0.40

2.20

0.01

20

30

50

100

9

20

To

5.00

0.80

0.60

5.00

0.80

4.00

0.10

40

50

200

250

30

200

Tobacco – Mineral analysis values

 

Leaves

Nutrient

Average value

Critical level

 

(%)

N

3.90

2.00

S

0.70

0.32

P

0.55

0.24

K

3.80

2.10

Mg

0.85

0.37

Ca

3.20

1.70

Na

0.10

 
 

(ppm)

Fe

200

 

Al

125

 

Mn

190

35

B

31

16

Cu

15

5

Zn

36

18

Mo

1.1

 

Need more information about growing tobacco? You can always return to the tobacco fertilizer .