Correct work in the preparation of the land. Adequate quality of the seedlings. To prepare the furrows according to what is established. To do a good sowing and using qualified personnel. To have an appropriate humidity of the soil, or to water if necessary. To plant in the appropriate date. To plant with the recommended distance.

In the case of shade grown tobacco it is also required to keep in mind the following aspects:

• To put one or two days before the baseboard (external cloth covering the perimeter of the field).
• To have repaired the posts that will serve as frame for covering tobacco.
• The wires of the roof should be stretched and ready for receiving the cloth of the roof.

For the cultivation of tobacco in Cuba there are several sowing dates which have advantages and disadvantages, they are:

a) Early sowing, from October 15 to November 15, it is a very good date, but the sowing is affected because the climatic conditions in the first moments of the development of the plant of tobacco are not the most appropriate ones and there are also favorable conditions for the development of illnesses. The disadvantages are the difficulties to produce seedlings of good quality and the high costs of the operations. In this date shade grown tobacco is not planted.

b) Optimum sowing. Corresponds to the tobacco planted between November 15 and December 30 that is the date that provides the biggest yields and quality, the smallest production costs and a few incidence of plagues and illnesses. This is the date in which the 100 percent of shade grown tobacco should be planted, even if the sowing can conclude before December 15.

c) Late sowing. Tobacco is planted between January 1st and February 1st, the quality of the leaf is not the most adequate, this organ is thick and a little hardened, the plant perspires excessively, the color of the leaf is almost black, great development of the nerviations and the general chemical composition is very high, this date is not appropriate for shade grown tobacco, but for sun grown strung and en palo.

In Cuba three methods for the sowing of the tobacco are used, they are:

• Al dedo (with the finger). Handy method in which the soil should be well prepared and watering should be applied furrow by furrow, the sowing with the finger is the most used in Pinar del Rio, it is very technical and with the use watering appropriate conditions to achieve a high survival of the plant are assured. All shade grown tobacco is planted with this method.
• A la mano (with the hand). Method of handy sowing in which the soil should be well prepared and the reserves of humidity of the soil should be facilitated. It is used fundamentally in sun grown tobacco, it is recommended for the early plantations and up to November 30.

Mechanic method. It is carried out with the machine for transplanting. The soil should have good preparation to carry out the transplant. Seedlings from 19-21 cm of longitude are used. The machine carries out the following works at the same time: to furrow, application of fertilizers, watering, sowing and it also covers furrows. After this activity a support watering is recommended, this method is used preferably with Flue-Cured and Burley tobacco.

Links & Sources:

• www.guerrillero.co.cu