Sugar Beet

• Sugar Beet
  Sugar beet belongs to the Chenopodaceae family.
  It is a biennial which means it takes two years to produce a flowering head. It produces a food store in the first year which is the root.
  The average percentage sugar is 16% but this will be higher if the plant received a lot of sunshine.
  Beet tops are left in the field after harvesting but they must be wilted for a couple of days before they can be grazed. This is because when fresh they contain oxalic acid which causes diarrhoea (scouring)
• By-products of Sugar Beet
  Molasses: A black syrup left over from sugar production which is used as an additive in animal feeds and is also used as an additive in silage production.
  Beet tops: Tops are cut from the plant during harvest and can be used to feed cattle and sheep.
  Beet pulp: Dried and shredded remains of the root which can be used as animal feed.
• Cultivation of Sugar Beet
  Soil suitability
  –Deep, well drained soils are needed for sugar beet production.
  –Compacted soils lead to forked roots.
  –Sugar beet also needs a pH of 6.5–7.0.
• Climate
  –Sugar beet is not frost resistant and best suited to a temperate climate.
  –Sunshine is also needed for sucrose production.
  –Sugar beet was traditionally grown in south-east Ireland
• Cultivation of Sugar Beet
  Preparation of seedbed
  –Land should be autumn ploughed and rotovated in spring for production of a fine seedbed.
  Time, rate and method of sowing
  –Sow in spring to avoid frost damage. This also allows for a long growing season.
  –Seed is sown at the rate of 100 000 /ha with a precision seeder.
• Fertilisers
  Sugar beet fertilisers contain Boron (B) and Sodium (Na).
  A lack of boron causes heart rot/crown rot in sugar beet.
  A lack of manganese causes speckled yellows in sugar beet
• Weed Control and Rotation
  Weed control
  –Weeds in the crop can be controlled by spraying a herbicide twice before full leaf cover.
  Rotation
  –Beet should not be grown more than one year in three in a cereal-grassland rotation.
  –Rotation can be used to control the beet cyst nematode, the main pest of sugar beet.
• Diseases, Pests and Weed Control
  Virus yellows
  –Transmitted by aphids
  –Spray aphicides in spring and summer to reduce populations and control the spread of the viral disease
  Rhizomania
  –Caused by Beet Necrotic Yellow Vein Virus (BNYVV)
  –Stunts root production
  –Increases root hair production
  –Prevents N uptake
  –Reduces sugar yield by 80%
  –Sow resistant seed varieties to slow spread of the virus
• Harvest, Yield and Storage
  Sugar beet is harvested between September and December using a sugar beet harvester.
  Tops are removed and left in the field, roots are transferred to a trailer.
  Roots are stored in clamps, covered in straw to prevent frost damage.
  Yield:
  –40 t/ha roots
  –25 t/ha tops
  Beet tops are left in the field and must be wilted before feeding to cattle as they contain oxalic acid which causes scour. Wilting reduces the acid concentration.