Breeding for Flue-cured Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L) Foliar Pest and Disease Resistance in Zimbabwe: A Review

Since its introduction to Zimbabwean farmers in the early 20th century, flue-cured tobacco has grown to become one of the most profitable field crops to cultivate in the country. However, pests and diseases have been reported as some of the major contributors to yield and quality loss in the business of tobacco farming in Zimbabwe and across the world reducing the profitability of the tobacco business. This has resulted in large sums of financial resources being invested in research aimed at controlling pests and diseases in different crops. In Zimbabwe, millions of liters of pesticides have been pumped into the environment in an effort to control pests and diseases in flue-cured tobacco fields. There have also been efforts to incorporate inherent pest and disease resistance in the varieties of flue-cured tobacco developed in the country since the early 1940s. This paper is a review of the breeding efforts to incorporate pest and disease resistance in the elite flue-cured tobacco germplasm used to develop some of the popular varieties in Zimbabwe.