August 23rd, 2024-

In the wake of Tropical Storm Debby, many individuals throughout the tobacco supply chain have asked what the impact will be moving forward. While it is too early to determine the full extent, the storm undoubtedly reduced the production potential of the 2024 flue-cured tobacco crop in North Carolina and other states.

Tropical Storm Debby affected North Carolina from August 7th to August 9th, 2024. The storm entered North Carolina through Anson County, along the South Carolina border, and moved northward through Montgomery, Davidson, Forsyth, and Surry counties. Most of the state was on the storm’s more intense eastern side. Rainfall averaged over seven inches in some areas, such as Sampson and Duplin County. Wind gusts exceeding 20 miles per hour were also documented in multiple tobacco growing regions across the state, contributing to significant tobacco leaf deterioration. Both wind and rain have impacted tobacco, especially since much of the tobacco had not yet been harvested when Debby arrived in North Carolina.

All types of commercial tobacco are vulnerable to damage from tropical storms and hurricanes. Due to the high economic value and the fact that the leaves are the harvested part of the plant, financial losses in tobacco can be significantly higher when compared to other agronomic crops. Tobacco is vulnerable to extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and/or tropical storms due to several factors:

• Wind Damage: As tobacco plants mature, they become increasingly susceptible to wind damage. Wind can dislodge leaves from stalks, cause physical damage (such as shredding), and trigger ethylene production, leading to rapid leaf deterioration. One of the more significant issues is tobacco being blown over, which requires the plants to be stood up before normal management practices can resume. However, this can only be done once the soil is no longer saturated.
• Water Damage: Standing water and saturated soils pose significant risks. Waterlogged soils lack sufficient oxygen for roots, leading to root decay, and subsequently, leaf deterioration if saturation persists for more than 48 hours. Sufficient drainage to alleviate saturation may take two to three days. In areas with clay-rich soil, drainage may take longer than two or three days, increasing the likelihood of root deterioration, even in the absence of disease.
• Heat Stress: High temperatures can accelerate leaf deterioration, with sunscald occurring, due to wilting, moisture loss, and root damage. Heat indices above 95°F are concerning for the holding ability of the crop.
• Disease Risk: Soilborne and foliar disease are also concerns. For example, the causal agent of tobacco black shank is a water mold that spreads by water and thrives in saturated soils. As root health declines and wounding increases, black shank infections can develop and spread further. High humidity and dense vegetation can promote foliar leaf diseases, such as target spot, brown spot, frogeye leaf spot, and/or angular leaf spot.

Below are some key management topics and observations that have been made by tobacco faculty and Extension Agents in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby:

• Leaf Deterioration: In tobacco fields most impacted by saturated soils and wind, leaf deterioration has proven unavoidable and irremediable. Fertilizer and fungicides are unlikely to be effective because the plants are dying. The change in leaf color from green to yellow is not a result of nitrogen loss, and may not always be attributable to disease. Foliar fungicides should only be recommended on healthy tobacco, where disease is present, following EPA labels.
• Harvest Delays: The 2024 harvest season was delayed due to adverse weather in May (wet) and June (dry) that extended the normal growing season. According to a USDA crop progress report, only 19% of the 2024 crop had been harvested before Tropical Storm Debby, which is likely lower than historical averages for early August.
• Harvest Challenges: Saturated soil conditions prevented machinery from entering fields for several days. Labor shortages may have further delayed harvesting.
• Standing up blown-over tobacco was delayed, due to saturated soil conditions. In some cases, this was the second or third time that tobacco had to be stood up. While this should be done in some cases, multiple attempts to stand up or straighten tobacco stalks increases the risk of physical damage.
• Wind-blown tobacco leaning in the field was impossible to harvest with machines.
• Salvage Efforts: Where possible, producers are encouraged to harvest fields as quickly as possible, starting with the worst fields first to salvage leaves before further deterioration.
• Yield and Quality Concerns: Questions about potential yield and quality impacts have also been discussed. While the full impact of Tropical Storm Debby is not yet known, comparisons to Hurricane Florence in September 2018 suggests that similar challenges in yield and quality may arise, with some differences. Unlike Debby, Florence was a multi-day hurricane with stronger winds, and made landfall in North Carolina in September, nearly one month later in the harvest season. An article posted September 19th, 2018 highlights some of the specific issues documented after Hurricane Florence.

We strongly encourage tobacco growers to consult with their local Extension Agent as they attempt to navigate the decisions in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby.

Author Contributions:

Dr. Matthew Vann, Tobacco Extension Agronomist, Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences

Dr. Daisy Ahumada, Corn, Cotton, and Tobacco Extension Plant Pathologist, Dept. of Entomology and Plant Pathology

Mr. Bryant Spivey, Director and Tobacco Extension Agent, Johnston County Extension

Mr. Norman Harrell, Director and Tobacco Extension Agent, Wilson County Extension

Mr. Dwayne Dabbs, Field Crop Agent, Alamance County Extension