Production Technique Of Sugar Beet

PRODUCTION TECHNIQUE OF SUGAR BEET

a. Selection of Land:

The land on which beet will be produced should be regarded since the sugar beet derives plenty of nutrient from the soil. The land should be irrigable, rich in nutrients, high in organic matters, in light (sandy) structure, not be much heavy (clayish).

b. Crop rotation:

Sugar Beet is generally produced within a crop rotation system of 4 years. Complying with the alternation is essential in terms of the plant nutrients’ being used properly, diseases and pests’ not increasing.

c. Preparation of Land:

Preparation of land in sugar beet cultivation begins 1 year before with the harvest of primary plant. While the land is at the temper of shade immediately after grain harvest, disk harrow is pulled, afterwards it is irrigated immediately. 20-25 days later, the weeds present at the land as a result of irrigation and the seeds remaining from the grain harvest are germinated. When the land reaches the temper, it is plowed deep. In November, 2/3 of bottom fertilizer is thrown onto the land and the second plowing is done. By any means, autumn plowing should be necessarily done. In the lands where autumn plowing is done;

-Rain falls of autumn and winter is benefited more,

-Autumn fertilizers are ensured to penetrate into subsoil,

-An easier preparation of land and seed bed is done for the spring,

In case that the autumn plowing is not done, the land is destabilized much within the period lasting up to October since the land will be plowed in spring. Since it will take a long time, the temper of the land is missed and also the seed cultivation is delayed.

d. Preparation of Seed Bed for spring:

Harrow-drill combinations are pulled properly by 1/3 of the bottom fertilizer and half of the nitrogenous fertilizer’s spreading onto the land. If the land has not been plowed for any reason, whole bottom fertilizer and half of the top fertilizer (nitrogenous fertilizers) should be spread onto the land and a good plowing should be done. Afterwards, seed bed is prepared by harrow-drill combinations. Roller is pulled on light soils. While these activities are performed, the soil should be tempered. Due to the lands’ being plowed in the same depth for a long time, a strict plow pan occurs at the bottom. It prevents the beet to go deeper and generates bifurcation. Therefore the land, on which beet will be planted, requires to be plowed deeply by a deep destructor chisel or a bottom digger in every 3 - 4 years.

e. Cultivation:

Cultivation should be done as early as possible (as from 15 March for Konya
) while the soil is tempered. If it is not tempered in cultivation time, growing (in touch) irrigation should be done through spring irrigation immediately after cultivation. If weed crops out of the land, herbicide should necessarily be used before or after cultivation. If the weeds are not controlled, they prevent the growth of young beet seedling by drowning it after in touch and reduce the productivity. Cultivation depth should be about 3-4 cm and the soils, which are slightly sandy and open to erosion, should be compressed by roller after cultivation. In order to reduce the seed waste and decrease workmanship, the cultivation distance over line should be adjusted according to the productivity and temper of the soil. Therefore, that the cultivation is done when the soil is tempered will produce the best result in attaining the ideal plant density. In order to make a good cultivation, pneumatic sowing machines should be preferred.

f. Maintenance and Control:

Control is the protection of beet against the weeds, diseases and pests within the period lasting from the cultivation to harvest. The control begins with seed dressing, carries on with the removal of the diseases and pest factors. Particularly in the cropping out periods of the beet, a good control should be performed against flea and underground pests. Both weeds are controlled and destroying of duff layer of the soil and airing are ensured by weeding.

g. Weakening and Thinning:

One of the important matters enhancing the productivity and quality is the appropriate adjusting of plant density on the land. Although all of the production factors are prepared well, not obtaining plants at required numbers leads to reduction in productivity and quality significantly. In brief, the matter, which enables the beet producers to get result, is the plant density. All kinds of expenditures made on an empty land or a land where very few beets are available mean that they are for nothing. Adjusting of the plant density at the required level is connected with variety, adjusting of the seed bed at a good or bad level depends on the cultivation when the soil is tempered and the cultivation technique. Final plant number is attained through weakening and thinning after in touching. Thinning should be done in the first weeding, thinning in the second weeding. Weakening and thinning’s being done at the same time is inconvenient. Because a reduction in the number of plants may occur in connection with mortality risk due to disease and pest harm of some plants in the periods ahead.
Thinning should be started in the period of four leaves, the distance of two plants should be 20 - 25 cm. This situation means that 10.000 plants on average are present on a decare. However, on hard and heavy soils, a significant decline in productivity and quality doesn’t occur for about 8000 plant numbers per decare. On lighter and slightly productive soils, plant number should be around ten thousand. Plant numbers higher than ten thousand causes to decline in productivity and quality as well as they enhance the labor costs.

h. Fertilization:

The matters of fertilizer application and irrigation are the leading of the most significant matters, which affect the productivity and quality in the production of sugar beet. In fertilization; nitrogenous, phosphorous and potash fertilizers are based on. The principal in fertilization should be the fact that the plant nutrients lacking in soil are applied at the right time and at a definite amount in accordance with the requirement of the plant. The fertilizers applied more than enough or insufficiently enhance the expenditures as well as they distort the structure of the soil, the land hardens and becomes barren. Particularly the nitrogenous fertilizers applied more then enough distort the leaf/root balance as well as they lower the quality and polar. The time of fertilizer application, amount and applying method are very important for a maximum productivity in sugar beet. Use of phosphorous and potash fertilizers long before cultivation have positive effect in enhancing the productivity, quality and endurance in beet. Nitrogenous fertilizers should be applied in accordance with the requirement of the plant. Phosphorous fertilizers should be applied purely to subsoil in 14 - 16 kg per decare in autumn and potash fertilizers should be applied in 8 - 10 kg. The best method in fertilizer application and use of fertilizer amounts is that the fertilizer application is done in accordance with the plant, which will be grown and the requirement of the soil by analyzing the land soil. In the fertilizer application to beet, the organic fertilizers should be used to improve the physical structure of the soil. Animal fertilizer, one of the organic fertilizers, should be applied in every 2 - 3 years, 2 - 4 tons per decare. For green fertilizer application, the plants having abundant green parts and rotting easily (like vicia sativa) should be involved to the soil by being cut into parts or plowed while they are fresh.

I-IRRIGATION

Like excessive fertilization, redundant irrigation leads to barren of soil, washing of nutrients and the distortion of the structure. Water should be applied as much as the requirement of the plant in accordance with the condition of the soil and climate. The water requirement of the beet is 700 to 800 mm in total. Water around 100 - 130 mm is applied each irrigation. Water should necessarily not be applied to beet without its requirement. The irrigation time can be determined by using a tensiometer or if the leaves lying on the land (dying) don’t rise in the evening, namely, they don’t reach their normal erectness, it means practically that the irrigation time has come. The first irrigation’s being applied as lately as possible helps the beet root to grow. Therefore, root growth occurs in depth and as a result, high productive and quality beet having a good root shape is obtained. It is better to apply the in touch growing water and the first irrigation in spring method. Instead of irrigating frequently and applying less water, applying rarely and much water gives better results. The interval of irrigation water is determined by the course of the season and the soil structure. This should be 15 - 20 days in general according to the requirement and total irrigation number should not exceed 6-7 inCentral Anatolia
although it changes according to the regions. The last irrigation water should be applied 10 - 15 days before the harvest in accordance with the raining conditions. The method of irrigation is also important. Spring irrigation system and drip irrigation system, if possible should be preferred instead of flooding method. In drip irrigation; water, energy and fertilizer application are saved. It has been defined by researches that drip irrigation ensures a benefit of 50 % in water amount compared with the spring irrigation system.

I.HARVEST:

In Central Anatolia, sugar beet reaches the harvest maturity 180 - 185 days after the cultivation. It is the end of September or beginning of October in general. Earlier and later harvestings lead to loss in productivity and quality. Harvest is performed by machine and hand. But, the harvest should necessarily be performed when the soil is tempered. Otherwise, losses and diminished beets will increase. While harvesting, the beet top should be cut off properly and from its point (the cutting point is the one where the first leaf crops out), got rid of soil and mud, green leaves should not be left on. It should be considered that the soil left on the beet in harvest is more valuable than the beet. It should not be forgotten that 100 years should pass in order for a soil at the thickness of 1 cm to originate. During the harvest, loading and discharging; the beet should not be injured and broken. The beets having leaves, which are muddy, injured and don’t have a well-cut off top, reduce the silage life and lead to a rapid deformation, therefore to sugar loss. Harvested beets should essentially be delivered to the plant as fresh. If silage will be done on the land, it should be done on a hard platform whose carriage is easy; its upper surface should be covered with beet leaves. Covering the upper surface of silos reduces the loss. Furthermore, rotten beets should not be taken into the silo and removed from the land.

J. Beet Seed and selection of types:

For a productive and quality beet production, the selection of a convenient type and seed should be done. Seed should have a high germination rate, be fresh and have all of the properties of that type. In the proverb, “CULTIVATE THE APPROPRIATE SEED, DON’T SUFFER THE MOURNING OF WINTER” is said.

The seed of sugar beet is named as monogerm and poligerm in accordance with the number of embryos (germs) included. Monogerm is introduced to the market as genetic monogerm if it is obtained by improvement method, as technical monogerm if it is obtained by the destroying of polygerm. Monogerm types have high quality and productivity in general as well as they generates single plant when they germinate. The cost of monogerm types per decare and labor costs are lower. Types are named as hybrid and synthetic according to improvement method, and also as diploit or poliploit according to the number of chromosomes born. Today, most of the types used in the market are genetic monogerm-hybrid ones. It shouldn’t also be forgotten that the good properties of the type can’t be benefited to the utmost if the growing conditions for beet are not applied regularly and at the right time no matter how quality the type is. On the contrary, the required result can’t be got if the type is not quality no matter how appropriate the technical conditions are.

k. Weed Beet:

It is one of the significant problems on sugar beet lands. All kinds of beets, which are not wanted on sugar beet lands are called weed beet. Weed beet is also named as male beet, stemming beet. Weed beet doesn’t have any agricultural or technological value as well as it leads to reduction in productivity through using the light, water and nutrient of the commercial beet. Therefore, weed beets should necessarily be removed from the land by being harvested.

Diseases and Pests

Diseases observed on cultivation fields of sugar beet and having economical significance have been determined as

*Cercospora Leaf spot

* Rhizomania

* Black-Leg of Sugar Beet and

* Mildew

Pests observed on cultivation fields of sugar beet and having economical significance are
* Beet cyst nematode
* Armyworms
* Subsoil pests (Soil worms, wire worms etc)
* Beet fleas
* Proboscis beetles
* Shield beetles
The control in diseases and pests of sugar beet contains two periods, including pre-cultivation and post-cultivation.
Some subsoil worms lead to a significant harm and productivity loss from the cropping out of beet up to the periods where 2 - 4 leaves are present.
In order to avoid the pests, subsoil spraying should be done. In this control, the most efficient method is the spraying of the land in autumn before plowing. Furthermore, beet seeds should also be sprayed by the effective seed pesticides.
The most important competitor of the nutrients utilized from the soil by sugar beet is weeds. In order for our farmers to avoid from heavy costs, pre-cultivation control should be preferred and applied, which is more effective than post-cultivation.
Against the leaf fleas, shield beetles, proboscis beetles, aphids and armyworms observed before cultivation, a control should necessarily be applied in accordance with the recommendation of related institutions and people.
When the disease symptoms of leaf spot are observed, which requires collective control, the disease should be prevented through applying control containing pesticide 3-4 times.