Sugar beet

(Beta vulgaris)

Sugar beet dates back to only about 250 years.

In 1747 a German names Andrew Marggraf found that beet sugar was identical to that obtained from cane.

By 1880, cultivated sugar beet had been selected with sugar content as high as today's cultivars.

About ¼ of the world sugar comes from beet.

Word wide grown on 18 million acres.

Leading production comes from France, US, Germany, Turkey and Ukraine

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) is an herbaceous biennial dicot.

Flowers are perfect, regular and without petals.

It is believed that the progenitor of sugarbeet is Beta maritima.

During the first year plants produce leafy tops and a large succulent root.

During the second year plants produce flowers and seeds

Beets average 15-20% sugar by weight.

Sugar beet production requires fertile soils with a pH between 6 and 7.5.

Loam or sand loam soils are preferred. Heavier soils also cause problems in digging beets at harvest.

Irrigation in the US is essential in regions with less than 18 inches of summer rains

Irrigation requirements vary from 21 inches in Canada to 40 inches in Arizona.

Sugar beet is bulky and must be grown within easy transportation distances from sugarbeet factories.

Several million dollars are needed for a factory construction.

Each factory has a capacity of 1,000 to 5,500 tons of beets daily.

Therefore it is usually necessary to have 10,000 acres or more in a common area to sustain a beet industry.

Seed will germinate in soil temperatures over 60o F, but germination is most rapid at 82o F.

Beet roots have highest sugar content when summer temperatures are between 67 and 72oF.

Plant growth is optimum at 75oF but root (beet) growth is optimum at 68oF.

Cool autumn nights (59oF) favor sugar accumulation in roots.

US Sugarbeet Production Counties where sugar beets are grown

Counties where sugar cane are grown

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

800000

Sugarbeets by County

None

Harvested

33,000 a

32.3 t/acre

1,050k tons 118,000 a

31.0 t/acre

3,643k tons

37,000 a

33.4 t/acre

1,235k tons

Minidoka - 1,484,000 tons Cassia - 1,025,000 tons Bingham - 786,000 tons Jerome - 458,000 tons Power - 449,000 tons Twin Falls - 413,000 tons

Sugarbeets by County

Minidoka - 1,484,000 tons Cassia - 1,025,000 tons Bingham - 786,000 tons Jerome - 458,000 tons Power - 449,000 tons Twin Falls - 413,000 tons

Planting

Nitrogen is the most limiting nutrient for sugarbeet

growth.

Sugarbeet requires 15 lb of available nitrogen for

each ton of beets harvested,

Starter nitrogen (10%) applied pre-plant and

remainder side-dressed before mid-season.

Suggested nitrogen application is 0-60 lb N/a on

highly fertile soils, 60-120 lb N/a on medium soils

and 120-180 lb N/a on low fertility soils.

Do a soil test before planting

High phosphorus is needed to enhance sugar

production.

Up to 100 lb phosphorous/acre may be

needed according to the soil test.

Potassium requirement is 200-400 lb K/a.

Small applications of Boron (Borax) (~15

lb/a) are required on soils deficient in boron.

Cercospora Leaf Spot (Cercospora beticola), a

fungus perpetuated in beet refuse.

It can be spread on seed produced in regions where

the disease is severe.

It is not a major disease in the Pacific Northwest but

occasionally causes serious leaf spot, especially

under sprinkler irrigation.

High humidity or free moisture and high

temperatures (77 to 95° F days, nights above 60° F)

favor infection.

Cercospora Leaf Spot

Rhizomania is a disease of sugar beet caused by Beet Necrotic Yellow Vein Virus (BNYVV).

The soil borne fungus Polmyxa betae keskin is the vector of BNYVV.

BNYVV can persist in soil for years within resting spores formed by the fungus.

Rhizomania development is favored by warm, wet soil.

Most control methods involve containing the virus by preventing movement of infested soil.

Rhizomania

Beet curly top virus is vectored by the Beetle leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus).

The leafhopper overwinters on a wide range of weeds, and readily acquires the virus when it feeds on infected plants. In spring, it migrates to agricultural lands.

Beet curly top virus also can cause significant losses in beans, cucurbits, peppers, and tomatoes.

Control by:

Growing resistant varieties.

Control overwintered weeds that serve as hosts.

Curly top virus

Root and crown rot caused by Rhizoctonia solani

causes major losses in sugar beets, wherever the

crop is grown.

Annual national average yield loss is 2% but 30%

to 50% losses have been seen.

Entire fields can be destroyed, in the PNW, where

the disease has traditionally caused the greatest

losses.

Because of our cool soil temperatures at planting,

other fungi are usually responsible for seedling

disease in the Pacific Northwest.

Rhizoctonia

Sugar beet cyst nematode (Heterodera schachtii)

is a major parasite of sugar beets, causing

serious stand and yield reductions.

Cyst nematodes overwinters as eggs and

juveniles, remaining dormant inside the

cyst which is the body of the dead female.

After emerging, juveniles infect the root near the

root tips, establishing a feeding site where they

continue to develop.

Cyst nematode is present in nearly half the states in

the US.

Cyst nematode causes stunting and yellowing of

plants, misshapen and excess fibrous roots.

Control:

Nematicides (soil fumigation) are effective but highly

expensive.

Rotation of crops and trap-crops are also effective.

Keep fields free from host weeds like mustard,

lambsquarter and knotweed.

Sugarbeet cyst nematode

Calendar of sugarbeet insect activity

April May June July August

Flea Beetle

Springtails

White grub

Wireworm

Cutworm

Beetworm

Root Maggot - Adults

Root Maggot - Larvae

Cutworm

Sugarbeet Insects

Sugarbeet root maggot

Harvest should be started when sugar levels are at a

maximum.

Usually the contracting company conducts tests and tells

growers when to harvest.

Often the beets are first topped to remove foliage which

contains little sugar and can interfere with sugar

extraction.

Some harvesters harvest tops and beets and top after

lifting.

Topped beets are stacked in fields or pits until being

hauled to factories.

Harvest

Harvest

Harvest

Processing

Energy Crops

Sugarbeet Root Maggot