Effect of early sowing on the growth, yield and quality of sugar beet.

Abstract

Experiments have shown that yield of sugar is closely related to the amount of solar radiation intercepted by a sugar beet crop. Early sowing increases leaf area from May onwards when radiation is at its maximum and provides a basis for increasing yields. In the past, bolting has been an undesirable consequence of early sowing but some modern cultivars have good bolting resistance and can be sown early with a limited risk of bolting. This study, conducted from 1994 to 1998, compared the performance of two cultivars, Celt and Monofeb, at three sowing dates and three harvest dates. In replicated experiments, plant establishment, crop development, and root yield and quality were assessed. The effect of sowing date on solar radiation interception was studied. Effects of in-furrow pesticide application on pest numbers and plant damage were also measured. Plant establishment was influenced by sowing date with the early sowings generally giving lower plant numbers than the later ones. The cultivar Celt produced higher populations than Monofeb at all sowing dates. Early sowing increased the leaf area index (a measure of the ratio of leaf to land area) and consequently the amount of solar radiation intercepted. This was particularly so in June when solar radiation levels are highest. Early crop establishment provides the opportunity to exploit good weather conditions which may occur in April or May. Pest numbers generally were small at all the sites. Insecticide had a greater effect on pest numbers and plant damage than it had on plant establishment; the beneficial effects of pesticide were slightly more pronounced for the early and mid-season sowings than for later-sown beet. Seedling diseases were not a problem at any time of sowing. Poor emergence, where it occurred, was not associated with pre-emergence disease. Early to mid-March sowings produced significantly higher yields of roots and sugar than the early or late April sowings over the period of the experiment. Even in years when plant populations from the first sowings were much lower than subsequent sowings, yields tended to be at least equal to those of later sowings. Monofeb produced a slightly higher root yield than Celt, but because it had lower sugar contents there was no difference in sugar yields. Harvesting extended over the period from early October to mid-November and root growth and sugar production increased over that period irrespective of sowing date. Bolting was a problem in 1996 on the early-sown plots, particularly with the cultivar Celt.