Hardpan

Soil cultivation, in bad conditions, leads to formation of a hardpan. This, located at the bottom of a plow, is an area difficult for water and roots to cross.

Placed in such a context, the root system of tobacco commonly presents a very shallow configuration (figure 1). Moreover, the impermeable pan can induce waterlogging with excessive irrigation or rainfall (figure 2) causing the alteration and browning of roots and wilting of the plant.