Technical Information
How to grow Tropical Sugar Beet
1. Soil preparation & Sowing
• Sugarbeetcanbecultivatedonawiderangeofsoilsbutadeepsoil(>1m)isbetteradaptedtoitslongtaproot.ThecropgrowswellbetweenpH4to9andtoleratessalinesoilsbetterthansugarcane.
• Soil preparation is similar to other crops. But extra careshould be taken to have a thin seedbed: one or severalharrowing is needed after plowing in order to break theclods.The idealsowingdepth is2.5cm (maximum3cm).Soilstructureshouldbemaintainedinordertoavoidwatercloggingandthelackofoxygeninthesoil.
• The optimum population is ±100.000 plants/ha (42.000plants/a). This can generally be achieved with an initialsowing density of ±1.2 unit/ha (considering a 80-85%germinationrateandknowingthateachunitcontains100.000seeds).But,ifdifficultconditionsareexpectedatemergence,
itmaybeusefultosowatahigherdensityandtohavealightthinningoncethecropiswellestablished.
• Sugarbeetcanbesownbyhandormechanically,1seedperhole,eitheronaflatbed(50cmbetweenrowsand16-17cmbetweenplantsforasowingdensityof1,2unit/ha)oronridges,whichcanbeverypracticalforirrigation.
• Tropicalsugarbeetismonogerm:asingleplantcomesoutofeachseedandthereforethinningisnotneeded.
• The idealsowingperiodwilldependon the regionwheresugar beet is grown (climate and crop rotation); anappropriatesowingwindowwouldhavetocombinewarmtemperatures on awell drained soil, andwill have to befollowedbymildrainfalls.
2. Fertilization
• AsingleapplicationofmineralNPK(defaultrate:120-75-75kg/ha)1or2weeksbeforesowingisneeded.Ncanalsobeappliedasorganicmanureearlierintheseason.ThereisnopointtogiveNaftercanopyclosure:thetaprootofsugar
beet isveryefficientandcanpumpNdeep in thegrounduntillateintheseason.ThereisnopointtogivetoomuchN:itwilllowerthesugarcontentandsugarextractabilityintherootanditwillnotimprovethefinalwhitesugaryield.
SowingcanbedonebyhandSowingonridgesispracticalforirrigation
3. weed control
• Weedcontrol isvery important fromsowinguntilcanopy closure (±1or 2monthsafter sowing). Itcanbedonebyhand,mechanicallyorchemically.
Weedcontrolisveryimportantandcanbedonemanually
6. HarveSt
• Sugarbeethasno ripeningstage. Ifwellmanaged (nodamageduetorootrotsandleafdiseases),thecropcancontinuetogrowalmostindefinitely.Inpractice,harvestisoftendoneafter4,5or6months.
• Sugar beet can be harvested by hand or mechanically. The leavesusually stay in thefieldwhere theyareusedasgreenmanure.Theamountof soil on the rootatharvest shouldbe limitedasmuchaspossible.
4. irrigation
• At sowing: If soil temperature is > 35°C, irrigate directly after or even beforesowing;tocooldownthesoil.
Untilemergenceiscompleted:itisessentialtomaintaingoodsoilmoisture.
Afteremergence:irrigationwillbeneeded±every10-15days,dependingontheevolutionofsoilmoistureandonrainfalls.Inanycaseirrigationshouldbestopped1weekbeforeharvest.
5. peStS & diSeaSeS management
• Ourseedscanbecoatedwithplantprotectionproductsthatwillprotectthecropagainstmostearlyattacksofinsectsandfungi.
• Thetypeofpestsanddiseasesoccurring laterin theseasonwilloftendependon the regionwheresugarbeetiscultivated.Nevertheless:
- Powdery mildew and cercospora aretwoleafdiseasesthatarefoundalmosteverywhere; a foliar spray with anappropriatefungicideisstronglyadvisedwhenfirstsymptomsappear.
- Someinsects(ex.leafeatingcaterpillars)mightalsofromtimetotimeattackthecrop later in theseason; theuseofaninsecticidemustthenbeevaluatedonacasebycasebasis.
Sugarbeetisusuallyharvestedafter4,5or6months
Onceemergenceiscompleted,irrigationisneeded±every10-15days
Who is sEsVANDERhAVE?
SESVanderHaveistheglobalmarketleaderinthesugarbeetseedindustry.
Eachyear,SESVanderHaveprocessesandsellsoneandahalfmillionunitsofsugarbeetseedallovertheworld.Eachunitcontainingonehundredthousandseeds,intherecognisedbluecolourofSESVanderHave.Theseseedsaresoldandsowninoverfiftycountriesworldwide.
Cercosporaisaleafdisease,thatisfoundinalmostallsugarbeetregionsintheworld
www.sesvanderhave.comwww.tropicalsugarbeet.com
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