A tobacco plantbed culture study was made to determine the effectiveness of plastic film as a ground cover under the normal cheesecloth bed cover. The two-mil film was placed on the soil surface immediately after seeding and remained in place until the tobacco seedlings were at about the five-leaf stage. The desirable environmental conditions under the film produced more rapid plant emergence of increased plant populations compared to the non-plastic treatment. While the plastic film was in place, no care such as daily watering and weekly fungicide treatments was required.

(Full article published with kind permission from "Tobacco International")