Tobacco Research Board releases two flue cured varieties

THE Tobacco Research Board (TRB) has released two new flue cured varieties to growers after a five year lapse, bringing the total number of flue cured varieties on open release to 23, the TRB annual report said.

This marked a return to the traditional variety release practice and is evidence of a solid turnaround in the research programme which had suffered during the last decade.

The two varieties T71 and T72 were advanced to the limited release stage. The variety T71 has resistance to tobacco mosaic virus, unlike KRK26 that it complements. Further-more, T71 tends to give more orange grades and is higher yielding and more resistant to nematodes than KRK26. The variety T72 is high yielding than T766 and is slightly slower ripening and gives predominantly deep lemon to orange grades of cured leaf

"The maintenance of a vibrant variety development programme is fundamental to the release of novel varieties which form the basis of the competitive advantage that Zimbabw-ean tobacco has on the international markets," the report stated.
During 2011, government approved the re-establishment of the Toba-cco Industry Variety Rele-ase System, following    presentations from the Board.

"The uniqueness of the scheme allows merchants to sample varieties for their markets and growers to produce the crop over a period of up to four years before the variety can proceed for government registration. This stringent sch-eme is key to the maintenance of Zimbabwe as a choice source of flavour styles of tobacco," the report said.

The Pesticide Approval Scheme, first introduced in 1964 and amended in 2004, was further refined during the year leading to the launch of the new Pesticide Approval Sche-me Service (PASS). The Pass will guarantee the continued acceptance of Zimbabwe tobacco on the major international markets by ensuring that international regulations of agro-chemical usage are adhered to in tobacco production.

Also, 39 Kutsaga Farmer Field Schools were established in 15 tobacco growing districts. At least 7 154 growers attended these schools.

The Board expects to establish more schools since there has been an increasing realisation by stakeholders of the relevance of this form of interactive and localised training.

Through a collaborative project with tobacco merchants and to also reduce the environmental impact of tobacco production, the Board launched the "rocket barn".

Preliminary results indicate up to 50 percent reduction in wood fuel usage and a reduction in barn turn-around time from eight to nine days to five to seven days with the "rocket barn" compared to conventional barns.

"This curing method, together with the use of alternative fuels, should reduce the environmental "foot-print" in tobacco production," said the report.

Following ground breaking research in seed technology, Kutsaga also introduced aphicide-treated and film-coated tobacco seed. This unique technology enables the board to track seed between years and to colour-code tobacco varieties, while ensuring that seedlings are protected from the debilitating effects of aphids during the first six weeks of establishment.

"As Zimbabwe's tobacco industry is now dominated by smallholder growers who plant their tobacco with the rains when aphid populations are at their peak, this technology should find wider acceptance by growers," the report added.

According to the rep-ort, developments during 1998-2008 in the agriculture sector have led to a shift in policy and reluctance to privatise research. However, commercialisation programmes and projects are being pursued vigorously to provide a more financial base for the Board.

TRB was reconstituted as a statutory body in 1950 on the initiative of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association (ZTA).

The ZTA foresaw that research would need a more substantial financial backing than the government could provide if the local tobacco industry was to expand in the world markets.