To achieve the best tobacco yields and quality while keeping production costs down, you need a good sucker control program. With over 50+ years experience in the sucker control business, Coastal has developed and refined the highest quality products and successful sucker control programs for flue-cured tobacco.

The keys to successful tobacco sucker control:

  • Start early at 30 – 40% button stage
  • Be timely. Make applications at the proper intervals.
  • Use the right products at the correct rate.
  • Use the right spray application.

Coastal offers three highly effective contact sucker control materials, all used for the control of sucker growth on Flue-Cured, Burley, Dark, Maryland and Cigar tobacco:

Kleen-Tac logo
Green Tac
Ten Tac logo
  • KleenTac ‘85’ contains a carefully balanced combination of active ingredients, emulsifiers and wetting agents formulated for excellent sucker control and crop safety. The concentrated product is diluted with water to form a creamy emulsion which is applied as a course spray. The emulsion is effective when it comes in direct contact with suckers.  Unlike other products on the market, Coastal guarantees 85% C8 and C10 alcohols, which are the active ingredients  contributing most to contact sucker control.
  • Green Tac is similar to Kleen Tac except that it is made from all natural source raw materials and is approved for use on organic tobacco.
  • Ten Tac contains a carefully balanced combination of the active ingredient C10 fatty alcohol, emulsifiers and wetting agents. The single source alcohol is more active on suckers but also has a higher potential for bronzing young tobacco; therefore, the use rate is lower than Kleen Tac and Green Tac.

Check Maleic Hydrazide logoIn addition to contact materials, Coastal offers a quality systemic liquid growth retardant, Check MH15, used to prevent sucker development when applicable.  Coastal’s program capitalizes on extensive knowledge gained over the years and through numerous studies, and when followed, allows for MH use without leading to excessive residues.

In today’s flue-cured tobacco production environment, tobacco suckers must be controlled for as long as 10-12 weeks. During those weeks, be on time with sucker control to ensure a quality, high-yielding crop.

Talk with a Coastal representative to get the specific sucker control program and right products for your tobacco crop.

Click here for more information on Coastal’s 2015 tobacco sucker control program.

Always read and follow label instructions.
Information provided by Coastal AgroBusiness, Inc.