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As harvest wraps up, curing concerns exist for burley, dark tobacco

November 03, 2009|By KATIE PRATT

LEXINGTON — With harvest nearing completion, high humidity levels caused by an exceptionally moist year could cause curing problems for growers of burley and dark tobacco, said specialists with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

Much of the early-cured burley and dark air-cured crops are showing signs of houseburn or barn rot.

Andy Bailey, UK dark tobacco extension specialist, estimated that as much as two-thirds of the dark air-cured tobacco crop has at least small traces of the rot, which also is called "sweat." Barn rot can cause leaves to fall off the stalk, significant leaf weight reductions and increased levels of undesirable chemical constituents in the cured leaf.

While barn rot is widespread, its levels are small enough on most dark air-cured crops that it should not pose quality problems at the receiving stations.

"A lot of the companies understand what our growing season has been like, and they expect to see some of that," Bailey said. "Unless there's a major problem, there should not be a major price reduction based on a single year situation."

However, growers will want to spend more time with damaged crops in market preparation. Growers should separate out leaves that have significant barn rot prior to delivery and have the barn doors open as much as possible to help remove the moisture from the crop.

"Unfortunately, there are no sprays or powders that are effective at stopping rots or molds in the barn," said Bob Pearce, UK extension burley tobacco specialist. "Using any product off-label in the barn could lead to unacceptable residues on the cured leaf."

Dark air-cured growers may be able to apply some dry heat to help rid the crop of moisture. Using a dry wood that produces very little smoke, such as sycamore, growers can let fires burn for a day or two, repeating this process about every two weeks. Bailey said some dark tobacco growers are taking some of their crop down from the barn and placing it on scaffold wagons to allow more air movement through the tobacco as it finishes curing.

Dark fire-cured tobacco was not as affected by barn rot due to its more-controlled curing process and is of good quality. However, some of the dark fired, dark air and burley is muddy due to the crops being harvested in wet conditions. Growers will need to spend extra time removing mud from the crop in preparation for market.

In addition to the rot, burley and dark air-cured growers are dealing with heavy mold growth on their cured leaves. Growers need to contact their contract holder to determine how the company wants the moldy tobacco handled, Pearce said.

When moldy or muddy tobacco is taken down and stripped, the movement of the tobacco could release dust and mold spores into the air, potentially creating a health concern for workers. Tobacco growers and their workers may want to use respirators to protect themselves.

While the high humidity has caused concerns, it has given both the burley and dark air-cured tobacco crops nice color, which is a quality improvement compared to the flashy colors of the last two years, which were both dry with low humidity.

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