Water requirements of tobacco grown under irrigation at Clare, North Queensland.

Abstract

An investigation of the water requirements of tobacco grown during the dry season (July–December) in the coastal areas of north Queensland was undertaken at Clare during the years 1948 and 1949. There were eight spray treatments in 1948 and four in 1949. Total amount of water applied per acre varied from 8 to 27.5 in. The best results were obtained with 1.0–1.5 acre-in. of water for plant establishment in the field, followed by a total of approximately 20 acre-in. during growth. Heavy applications retarded early growth and tended to affect yield, but not quality, adversely. With low watering, plants were stunted and failed to ripen satisfactorily, whereas highest rates were above the optimum for yield and quality.