SQM Treatments in Tobacco: 57% Increase in gross margin for producers

This result demonstrates the direct impact of specialized fertilization in tobacco leaf quality, total yield and agricultural profitability.

During a field trial on a Burley tobacco crop in Nayarit, Mexico, SQM’s plant nutrition treatments were shown to generate a higher gross margin for producers compared to conventional practices.

Specifics of the study:

In a tobacco plantation owned by farmer Juan Gonzalez Rangel, associated with the Tabacos del Pacífico Norte tobacco company in Santiago de Ixcuintla, applications of granular fertilizers were compared with water-soluble Specialty Plant Nutrition (SPN) products.

• SQM treatments with water-soluble fertilizers (SPN) significantly improved yields.
• An increase in the number of leaves, dry weight, and height of tobacco plants was observed.
• Producers obtained a 57% increase in gross margin, thanks to the combination of yield and quality.
• SQM treatments proved to be more efficient than manual application of granular fertilizers.

The trial, conducted between November 2010 and May 2011, evaluated the effect of different fertilization schemes:
Treatment 1: Granular fertilizers applied manually.
Treatment 2 (SQM): Water-soluble fertilizers (SPN) applied by irrigation and sprinklers.
The objective was to compare the efficiency, yield, and economic benefit between the two treatments.

Table 1. Tobacco grower treatment with granular fertilizers.

Table 2. The SQM treatment with a granular base + water-soluble specialty plant nutrition products.

SQM treatment results:

• Increased tobacco yield.
• Higher number of leaves per plant.
• Increase in dry leaf weight.
• Improved leaf quality, evaluated under tobacco industry standards.

Benefits for producers:

• Greater competitiveness in the face of fluctuations in the tobacco market.
• Better water use efficiency through fertilization via irrigation
• Reduced labor requirements thanks to mechanized application
• Sustainability through improved nutrient use efficiency.