Agriculture and Environment: Tobacco

Better Management Practices: Use IPM

The centre has produced general works on pest management as well as more specific works on insect pest management and even specific manuals on the control of tobacco budworms and stink bugs.

Using resistant tobacco varieties
Studies have also shown that many pest problems can be controlled, though not eliminated, by using resistant tobacco varieties. Although no varieties are resistant to all pests and diseases, a farmer can choose a plant with resistance to major local diseases and pests.

This will reduce considerably the use of pesticides. In general, it makes both financial and ecological sense to reduce the use of expensive inputs.

More targeted use of agrochemicals
The risk of pesticide toxicity to wildlife, for example, can be reduced considerably by judicious use of pesticides and other agrochemicals, which is a cornerstone of integrated pest management (IPM) practices.