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Introduction |
Sugar beet (Beta vulgairs L.)
another important sugar producing crop in which sugar is stored in roots is purely a
creation of plant breeding. Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh are
potential areas for winter sugar beet in the country. |
|
Requirement |
| Climate |
Sugar beet is essentially a crop of
the temperate regions. Genetic and agro-technological improvements have now extended its
frontiers to higher latitudes of subtropics as an irrigated winter crop. |
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| Soil |
Soil sugar beet grows best in loams
and clayey loams with a near neutral reaction. It has a high tolerance to soil salinity
and alkalinity but does poorly in acid soils. Poorly drained or water logged soils are
unsuitable for sugar beet cultivation. |
|
Varieties |
Danish polyploid multigerm, Maribo
Magnapo, Maribo Mahapoly, Ramonskaya 06 |
|
Sowing |
Sugar beet is sown in lines, about
50cm apart either on flat beds or on ridges. The seedbed is prepared in the same manner as
for rabi sowings. The land is prepared to a good tilth by repeated ploughing and planking.
About 10kg of unprocessed seed is sufficient to sow one hectare. To facilitate
germination, the seed may be soaked in 0.25% solution of a mercurial compound or Aretan or
Agallol overnight. The seed can be sown when it is dry. The crop is sown during the first
fortnight of October. The crop has a poor tolerance to delays in sowing and sowings beyond
October are detrimental to yield and sugar content. Sowing is done by dibbling manually or
by drilling. The seeds are placed rather shallow, that is about 3cm deep. |
|
Fertilizer |
Sugar beet requires 120kg of nitrogen
per hectare and in soils deficient in phosphorus and potassium 80 kg of phosphorus as well
as 100kg of potash per hectare, in addition to nitrogen is applied. The nitrogen
fertilizer is given in three splits at sowing, thinning, and earthing-up in December. |
|
Irrigation |
The crop requires 8-10 irrigations,
depending upon the seasonal conditions. Timely irrigation is very essential to ensure of
good yield of the roots. In the formative leaf growth and root development phases,
respectively is the minimum irrigation need of this crop. Excessive irrigation to the crop
is highly detrimental to root quality. |
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Plant
protection |
Pest |
Cutworms |
This pest is likely to spread rapidly
in the tender crop and cause serious damage. |
| Control |
Spraying 20% E.C. Heptachlor diluted
in 3,500 litres of water per hectare. |
|
Disease |
Seedling
rot |
| Control |
Control includes seed polishing and
seed treatment with 20kg of PCNB per hectare as soil drench before the appearance of the
disease. |
|
Harvesting |
At the time of harvesting, a country
plough is run along the sugar beet rows on both sides. This operation facilitates the
lifting of the roots wit ha slight pull of the kudali. The plants after uprooting should
be freed from the adhering soil, but the roots should not be washed in water for cleaning,
as this practice induces rapid deterioration. The roots must be topped clean. Leaves or
leaf bases allowed to remain on the roots seriously affect the recovery of sugar. |
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