All organic tobacco farming is firmly rooted in the basic principles of care, ecology, fairness, and health. They do everything from guiding the overall growth and development of organic farming to representing its potential worldwide contribution and its global vision for a future that is more sustainable for all agriculture, including organic tobacco.
For years now, the organic tobacco market has been facing some major hurdles that have to be overcome to ensure long-term success and overall growth. One significant challenge is the higher cost of organic tobacco production. Since organic farming methods are just more labor-intensive, requiring specialized techniques, the operational expenses must go up. The increased cost is sometimes passed on to consumers via premium pricing, which can limit organic tobacco’s accessibility, especially in inherently price-sensitive regions.
So, how does organic tobacco production differ from non-organic? Here are some basics on that subject, from soil preparation to harvesting and everything in between.
Organic Soil Preparation
Light flue-cured organic tobacco needs light, sandy soil, whereas dark air-cured tobacco requires clay loam to silty loam soil. Both air-cured and fire-cured light tobacco are mainly grown using medium-textured soil. They’re also prone to waterlogging, demanding soil that is properly drained and well aerated. Here are some methods of organic soil preparation that are crucial for successful organic tobacco crops.
Crop rotation and cover cropping to enhance soil health and biodiversity
Crop rotation is helpful in the ongoing battle against the extremely destructive forces of erosion. It also helps by improving the stability of the soil via alternation between the organic tobacco crops with deep roots and the others that have shallow roots.
Crop rotation can also be extremely helpful in returning beneficial nutrients to the soil without the use of any synthetic input. This is also a practice that increases biodiversity on the farm, while also interrupting pest and disease cycles, and even improving the overall soil health via a significant increase in biomass that comes from the root structures of different crops, like corn and soybeans, for example.
Cover crops benefit organic tobacco crops by improving soil fertility and increasing the soil’s organic matter, as well as by capturing many of the excess nutrients once the crop has been harvested. In addition, they help by preventing soil erosion, limiting nutrient runoff, raising the soil’s moisture-holding capacity, reducing soil compaction, and even helping to suppress certain pests. Some cover crops that provide good cover and a dense root system while also helping stabilize all types of soil and combatting erosion include:
Annual rye grass seeds
Austrian winter peas
Clover seeds
Cowpeas
Crown vetch seeds
Mustards
Rapeseed
Sorghum-sudan hybrids
Sudangrass
Use of natural compost and organic fertilizers to enrich soil
Compost works as a biofertilizer or organic fertilizer by keeping the soil healthy so the plants can thrive. Often, consistently using compost and maintaining soil health can mean that the organic tobacco plants won’t even need any fertilizer. Instead, they get the necessary nutrients as they become slowly released by the compost into the ground.
Some compost advantages and the many ways that it improves soil health include:
Encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria and fungus
Improving the soil structure, so it becomes more crumbly and therefore less likely to be compacted
Increasing nutrient content to help the plants grow
Reducing the need for any chemical fertilizers
Reducing waste emissions
Suppressing diseases and pests
Implementation of no-till practices to maintain soil structure and prevent erosion
There are many ways to go about creating optimum growing conditions and improving soil fertility, while also managing to avoid soil deterioration or loss. The specific techniques that some successful tobacco farms use include using plant-based green manure, employing minimum tillage, and relay cropping, which involves growing two or more crops in sequence. Many highly diversified farms grow 92.8 percent of their crops either in rotation with or alongside their organic tobacco. Many organic tobacco farmers are now using new techniques (like contour planting) that require less tilling while also diminishing the effect of water run-off and promoting sustainable growth trends.
What are no-till practices in organic tobacco production? This refers to the practice of directly planting the tobacco in the soil without tilling it first, and it often involves leaving a cover crop as mulch on the ground. This essentially protects the soil against erosion, while also providing necessary nutrients and suppressing any weeds. In addition, it minimizes any soil disturbance and promotes the health of the soil.
The other benefits of no-till practices include:
Cost reduction because less tillage can translate to lower equipment operation costs and fuel usage.
Improved soil health because less tillage promotes enhanced microbial activity, increased organic matter, and optimum soil structure.
Reduced soil erosion since a cover crop on the soil's surface means that no-tillage can significantly minimize any soil loss caused by rain or wind.
Water conservation because cover crops are helpful in retaining moisture in the soil, which can lead to a major improvement in the water availability for tobacco plants.
Weed suppression because a well-established cover crop can suppress weed growth naturally and reduce the need for herbicides.
Seed Distribution
Since tobacco seeds are quite small, ideally they should be started indoors or at a temperature of 65 degrees or more. Outdoors, seeds should be planted in seed compost about six weeks prior to the last frost of the season by placing the seed on top of the compost without covering it.
Manual or mechanical planting methods that reduce soil disturbance
Manual and mechanical planting methods that are designed for the purpose of significantly reducing soil disturbance can include contour farming, cover cropping, no-till planting (direct drilling), or the use of a no-till planter. Any one of these will effectively minimize all tillage operations but still create narrow furrows for proper seed placement. These seeding methods can help preserve the organic matter content and soil structure.
Selection of organic seeds to ensure non-GMO and chemical-free growth
When it comes to the definition of what is meant by "organic", the USDA broadly states that tobacco seeds must be grown without the use of any insecticides or synthetic fertilizers. Furthermore, the use of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) is strictly prohibited by USDA Organic regulation. They define GMOs as methods that genetically modify any organisms by influencing their growth and development via means that are otherwise not possible under any natural processes or conditions.
Use of biodegradable seedling trays to minimize environmental impact
Biodegradable seedling trays are a more sustainable alternative to regular plastic trays that may actually spend hundreds of years decomposing in landfills. Bio-trays provide an optimal environment for organic tobacco root systems and they also biodegrade quickly, only taking approximately one season to completely biodegrade, effectively crumbling into the soil.
Pesticide Use
In comparison to conventional tobacco growing methods, organic tobacco farming often suffers from lower crop outputs due to common factors, such as pests, disease, and having to rely on weed control methods that may be less potent.
Organic-approved pesticides, such as neem oil and insecticidal soap
As a natural derivative of an evergreen that’s native to India called Azadirachta indica, neem oil is completely organic and biodegradable. The EPA found it has no unreasonable adverse effects, making it safe for the environment as well as for people. In addition, insecticidal soaps don’t persist in the environment, are biodegradable, and don’t contain any organic solvents.
Integrated pest management (IPM) to reduce pest populations naturally
Integrated pest management (IPM) is the optimum method for managing pests on tobacco plants by combining natural, cultural, and organic chemical controls for maintaining the pest populations below levels that could end up causing economic crop damage. IPM promotes insecticide use only when absolutely necessary, emphasizing the fact that a certain amount of damage from pests doesn't necessarily reduce a tobacco crop’s value enough to warrant paying for the cost of treatments. In addition, tobacco plants are often capable of compensating for any insect damage themselves.
Overall, IPM helps by maximizing profits and reducing everything from environmental contamination to human exposure, and levels of pesticide residue. It also helps to optimize the all-natural control that is generally provided by beneficial organisms.
Use of beneficial insects (e.g., ladybugs, lacewings) to control pests
Some beneficial organisms, such as parasites, pathogens, and predators, help by controlling many pests on tobacco plants. One example is the fact that beneficial insects are often responsible for killing more than 80% of the budworm population in tobacco fields. That level of control is quite similar to what can be reached by using the strongest foliar insecticides.
Water Management
Tobacco generally requires a weekly average of one inch of water for optimum growth.
Efficient irrigation methods to minimize water waste
Drip irrigating (aka trickle irrigation) is one system that offers water and nutrient-saving potential by allowing the water to slowly drip onto the tobacco plant roots via a network of emitters, pipes, tubing, and valves. This can originate from above the surface of the soil or could simply be buried below the soil’s surface, thereby minimizing evaporation. This type of system is often found to be more efficient than alternatives, like sprinklers or surface irrigators.
Rainwater harvesting systems
This type of system is one effective method used to collect, filter, and store rainwater from catchment areas so that it can be reused and conserve water resources, thereby reducing dependence on municipal water sources.
Soil moisture monitoring
This type of monitoring technology involves the use of specialized sensors that are embedded in the soil for measuring the moisture content, which allows for more precise scheduling. It’s based on real-time data and prevents overwatering because it only applies water when the soil has become sufficiently dry and it optimizes the tobacco plants’ water usage.
Soil Aeration
This is basically the process of making holes in the ground that will allow air, nutrients, and water to reach the roots of the tobacco plants. It's crucial to plant health because it improves water drainage, increases nutrient uptake, removes carbon dioxide, replenishes oxygen, and stimulates root growth. It can be accomplished via several effective methods from removing plugs of soil to spiking the soil, removing plugs of soil, or even the use of aerating liquids.
Incorporation of cover crops to enhance soil porosity and aeration
Hardworking cover crops can not only add organic matter but also help by aerating the soil and protecting it from compaction that can be caused by rain. They can also reduce erosion and suppress weeds while some of them can even add additional nitrogen to the soil.
Regular tilling of organic materials
Often, the main reason for regular tilling is modification or improvement of the soil’s physical properties. Shallow tilling of the top four to eight inches of the soil can promote the aerating process without harming the soil’s delicate ecosystem or drying out the soil while also effectively dispersing nutrients.
Use of natural aerators like earthworms to improve soil structure
Earthworms improve the soil structure by loosening, mixing, and oxygenating the soil as they’re burrowing their channels. Research has even shown that soil devoid of earthworms can be 90% less effective when it comes to soaking up water. Earthworms also leave some space for the water to drain away from the surface to be stored in the soil.
Harvesting Tobacco Organically vs. Non-Organically
There are basically two different methods of harvesting tobacco. One of them is called “priming” and the other is called the “stalk cut method”. In priming, the lower leaves mature first and are then followed by the upper leaves in ascending order. Harvesting is accomplished via the removal of a few leaves at a time when they’ve matured.
Hand-picking to reduce damage and maintain quality
With hand-picking, the tobacco leaves are usually detached at regular intervals when they’re mature (approximately 70 to 130 days after transplanting), thereby reducing damage and maintaining the highest quality product.
Machinery that can compact soil and damage plants
Soil compaction involves soil volume reduction due to one of several external factors, such as machinery. The resulting reduction can lower environmental quality and soil productivity.
Meeting certification standards
Ironclad certification processes and strict regulations have shaped the organic tobacco market. Organic tobacco farmers must adhere to those strict guidelines while also passing rigorous inspections for the purpose of obtaining their organic certification. This ensures the authenticity and integrity of their tobacco crop throughout all stages of harvesting and processing.
Final Word
Organic tobacco farming is a sustainable and environmentally conscious method that seeks to minimize the use of synthetic chemicals and prioritize ecological balance. By relying on natural fertilizers, crop rotation, and integrated pest management, organic tobacco farmers aim to preserve soil health, conserve water, and reduce the environmental impact of their practices. While the challenges of growing tobacco organically—such as pest control and achieving consistent yields—are significant, advancements in organic farming techniques are making it a more viable alternative to conventional tobacco production. Ultimately, organic tobacco farming aligns with broader trends toward sustainable agriculture, offering a more eco-friendly option for both growers and consumers while promoting a healthier planet.
