sugar beet

a beet, Beta vulgaris, having a white root, cultivated for the sugar it yields.

[1810-20]

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Variety of beet (Beta vulgaris) that accounts for about two-fifths of global sugar production, making it second only to sugarcane as a source of the world's sugar.

Unlike sugarcane, sugar beets can be grown in temperate or cold climates in Europe, North America, and Asia; that is, within the densely populated, well-developed areas where much of the product is consumed. The sugar beet was grown as a garden vegetable and for fodder long before it was valued for its sugar content.

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris).

Grant Heilman

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▪ plant

Introduction

 variety of beet, a biennial plant of the Amaranthaceae family. It is cultivated for its juice, from which sugar is processed. The sugar beet is second only to sugarcane as the major source of the world's sugar.

      The sugar beet was grown as a garden vegetable and for fodder long before it was valued for its sugar content. Sugar was produced experimentally from beets in Germany in 1747 by the chemist Andreas Marggraf (Marggraf, Andreas Sigismund), but the first beet-sugar factory was built in Silesia in 1802. Napoleon became interested in the process in 1811 because the British blockade had cut off the French Empire's raw sugar supply from the West Indies, and under his influence 40 factories to process beet sugar were established in France. The industry temporarily collapsed after Napoleon's fall but recovered in the 1840s. Beet-sugar production then increased rapidly throughout Europe; by 1880 the tonnage had overtaken that of cane sugar. Beet sugar now accounts for almost all sugar production in continental Europe and for almost one-third of total world production. The top 12 sugar-beet producing countries are France, the United States, Russia, Germany, Ukraine, Turkey, Poland, China, Belgium, Egypt, The Netherlands, and Iran.

Culture

      The sugar beet has long been grown as a summer crop in relatively cool northern parts of the temperate zones of the world and thus within the densely populated, well-developed areas where much of the product is consumed. More recently it has been grown as a winter crop in the southern parts of the temperate zones: South America, Africa, the Middle East, and southern Europe. In contrast, sugarcane can be grown only in tropical or subtropical regions.

      The growing period from sowing to harvesting is 170–200 days. A good yield of beet roots is obtained when the climate has been mild throughout the growing period. A good sucrose content in the beet roots is secured when the last period of growth has been cold. In the case of a winter crop, the ripening period is in the warm season, and ripening of the beet is promoted by withholding water to the beet.

      Sugar beet requires a well-distributed precipitation of about 24 inches (610 mm) from January to October. If the precipitation is deficient, the crop must be irrigated.

      Sugar beet is grown in various soils, ranging from sandy loam to heavy clay. An ideal soil is loam rich in humus, deep and homogeneous, having appropriate adhesion and mild moisture-holding capacity.

      Sugar beet is grown from seed, typically sown early in the spring. The seedbed is prepared by deep plowing after the preceding crop is harvested in autumn, and early the next spring it is shallow plowed, stamped, and harrowed.

      Fertilizers (fertilizer) are applied to sugar beets from the beginning of sowing through the entire growth period. nitrogen fertilizer increases the weight of beet roots but delays ripening. potash is well absorbed by sugar beet, increasing the root weight; but, again, if too much potash is absorbed, ripening is slowed down and, in addition, magnesium deficiency occurs. The absorption of phosphate is less than that of nitrogen and potash, but it increases beet-root weight and accelerates ripening.

      Seed balls, or fruits, containing many seeds (seed and fruit) are formed at maturity by the sugar-beet flowers. Balls containing single seeds were first obtained in the U.S.S.R. from atypical beets. Most beet seeds now used are from seed balls containing a single seed. With single seeds, the quantity required has been reduced to less than 3 pounds per acre (3.4 kg per hectare) instead of the 20 pounds per acre (22.5 kg per hectare) or more of whole-seed balls formerly required. When single seeds are planted with proper spacing, the seedlings grow at intervals that obviate the great labour expenditure for thinning and weeding required for seedlings from seed balls with many seeds. Beet seeds have been grown in mild climates by the winter-annual method, in which sowing is done in late summer or early autumn; the plants are dormant during the winter and produce seed the following season.

      In most areas seeds may be sown during the latter part of March or in April. Before sowing, beet seeds are treated with disinfectants for black root disease. Precision drills sow monogerm seeds of well-classified sizes to a depth of 0.75 to 1.5 inches (2 to 4 cm) spaced 2.5 to 3 inches (6 to 8 cm) apart. Rows are 20 to 22 inches (50 to 56 cm) apart. Fertilizers are applied simultaneously with seeds, and, after covering, herbicides are applied by spray. The germination of the seeds occurs about 10 days after sowing.

      When weeds appear in the interrows, they are removed so that fertilizers, air, and rainwater are more accessible to the beet roots.

      Thinning is performed in the four- to six-leaf stage to keep the distance between plants at 8–10 inches (20–25 cm), leaving a final stand of seedlings averaging 100 to 150 per 100 feet (30 metres) of row.

      Sucrose, a product of photosynthesis, is stored in the root, which can grow to 2.2–4.4 pounds (1–2 kg) and can contain 8–22 percent sucrose by weight. Sugar-beet harvesting usually starts late in September or early October and is performed rapidly so as to finish before the soil freezes. There are two methods of harvesting. In the Pommritzer method the topping and the lifting of the roots are performed by two separate machines. In the other method the two operations are carried out by one machine.

      The sugar-beet crop is produced every four to six years; several other kinds of crops are also raised during this period. Sugar beet is usually planted after corn (maize) or wheat in order to lessen the damage due to Rhizoctonia root rot or nematodes.

Diseases and pests

 The beet plant is subject to many diseases and insect pests. Black root rot, a fungus disease characterized by lesions in the stem near the soil surface, and cercospora leaf spot, a fungus infection in which the leaves become greenish yellow and root weight and sugar content are reduced, are most serious and can cause great damage if not controlled. Precautions must also be taken against damage by worms, beetles, and nematodes (nematode).

Breeding

      Disease-resistant beets of higher sucrose content and heavier root weight are constantly sought. Sugar beet is a cross-pollinated plant, and commercial varieties are hybrid plants. Superior polyploid varieties (varieties having multiple sets of chromosomes) have been developed.

      For information on the processing of beet sugar and the history of its use, see the article sugar.

Takeo Yamane

Additional Reading

Russell T. Johnson et al. (eds.), Advances in Sugarbeet Production: Principles and Practices (1971).Takeo Yamane Ed.

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