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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