Hail injuries

After heavy rains, followed by hail, it is common to see significant damage in tobacco crops. As a matter of fact tobacco plant due to its morphology is particularly vulnerable to hail. Hail, by hitting the leaves, stems and inflorescences, causes holes, splits, and localised necrotic lesions, that correspond to the points of impact (figure 1). Some leaves can be completely shredded (figure 2). Differences in reaction between varieties can be observed, and they are related to plant stature. The upright varieties are much less vulnerable than the cultivars with more spread out leaves (figure 3).

Fig 1	Fig 2	Fig 3