Sugar beet: description of varieties, cultivation and cultivation technology with photos

Sugar beets are predominantly grown by sugar producers and are used for this variety with a high level of sugar content in root crops. But the cultivation of culture is within the power of any summer resident at home. If necessary, and in compliance with all growing conditions, it will be possible to grow a good crop.

Sugar beet description

Sugar production depends on the variety of sugar beets, the more sucrose content in root crops, the better for the enterprise. But, not only industrial companies are engaged in the cultivation of beets.Summer residents also use sugar beets on the farm. They make fodder for livestock from sugar beets for the winter. Root vegetables are used in cooking to prepare various dishes.

Sugar beet is a subspecies of the common beet. In the first year after planting the seeds in the soil, an elongated root crop with white pulp is formed. A lush leafy rosette forms on the surface of the soil. In addition to sucrose, root crops contain trace elements and vitamins useful for humans (magnesium, iodine, iron, vitamins C, PP and B). The use of sugar beets is contraindicated only for people suffering from diabetes.

Selection of soil for growing sugar beets

The technology of cultivation in the open field of sugar beets primarily depends on the structure of the soil. Sugar beet can grow in any type of soil, but that doesn't mean it's suitable for poor, infertile soil.On the contrary, with a deterioration in the composition of the earth, the bushes quickly react to this and begin to grow worse. On sandy and clay soils, roots grow poorly and grow small.

The level of yield and productivity depends on the variety in the first place, the second important aspect is the soil that is used for cultivation. Light, acid-neutral soil types are considered the optimal type of soil for cultivation. It is important that the soil has good water and oxygen permeability. It is best if the seeds are sown in black soil. Serozems and dried peatlands are suitable for cultivation.

Another important aspect of growing crops is the presence of a water-retaining layer in the soil at a depth of at least 60 cm. The main thing is that the water is not too close to the root crops, otherwise they will begin to rot and disappear. If the liquid goes into the lower layers of the soil, then the growth of the bushes will slow down.

Predecessors for beets in crop rotation

When growing varieties of sweet sugar beets, it is important to follow the rules of crop rotation. This is an important aspect of vegetable growing, on which the success of growing crops depends. Growing crops that give root crops, primarily beets, is prohibited after such plants:

• Changd.
• Cabbage.
• Radishes.
• Canola.
• Kolrabi cabbages.
• Spinach.
• Rotabaga.
• Beans.
• Ryzhika.
• Turneps.
• Radish.
• Mustards.

This is due to the fact that the above plants suffer from the same diseases as beets. And if the soil was contaminated during their cultivation, then the risk of developing diseases on sugar beets is also high.You can not plant the same crop on the site for several years in a row. The soil becomes poor and subsequent plantings will not have enough nutrients for normal growth.

Vegetables, herbs are good precursors for sugar beets. It is best to plant seeds after winter wheat and barley. Suitable areas where potatoes used to grow. Provided that at this time the site was thoroughly cleared of weeds (weeds are common in beets and potatoes).

For summer residents, this option is the most acceptable, because wheat and barley are not grown for the household.

Autumn and spring tillage

In the first year of growing sugar beets, it is important to prepare the soil for planting planting material. Usually, soil preparation begins in the fall after harvesting from the site. The earth is carefully cleared of weeds. They dig to a depth of at least 20 cm. Harmful insects usually prefer to winter on such a layer, which lay larvae with the onset of spring.It is they who further spoil the yield.

Cultivation features include the preparation of beds in the spring for sowing. After all the snow has melted and the earth has warmed up, it is dug up again and organic or mineral fertilizers are applied. In the spring, it is not desirable to introduce fresh, undecomposed manure. Dry straw of grain crops is used as top dressing during spring soil preparation.

Fertilizers for beets

The technology of growing sugar beets in open ground depends on the frequency of mineral and organic fertilizers. In the autumn, during the period of digging the soil, fertilizing is introduced into it. For 1 weave, you need to use 35 kg of manure and 2 kg of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. At this moment or two weeks after the first feeding, nitrogenous fertilizers are applied in the amount of 1 kg. With the use of nitrogen-containing dressings, one must be careful, since nitrogen tends to accumulate in root crops.

Fertilizers for beets in the spring are applied at the time of sowing seeds 4 cm deeper than them. During the growing season, bushes are especially in dire need of fertilizers for active growth and development. Use phosphate or superphosphate. Boron is used from foliar top dressing during this period. They bring it in three times. The first time at the beginning of the growing season. The second dressing is applied after 25-30 days. And the last fertilization is carried out a month before harvest.

With the use of fertilizers in the fall, it will be possible to grow more root crops. A carbamide-ammonia mixture is used as a foliar top dressing. 1.5 liters is enough for one hundred square meters. Top dressing is stopped one month before the expected harvest.

Choice of beet varieties

The main difference between all varieties is the level of sucrose in the roots.

There are several types of sugar beets:

• High-yielding (sugar content of root crops is 16.5%, the yield of such varieties is high).
• High-sugar (sugar content reaches 18.5%, yield is average).
• Sugar (the most lean varieties belong to the sugar beet subspecies, the sucrose content reaches 21.5).

There is no clear dependence among these types. Sugar beets are often used as livestock feed, so you can choose any variety. The main thing is that the length of the seeds was not less than 3.5 cm. Otherwise, there is a risk of being left without a crop at all.

Among the varieties of sugar beet, the following are distinguished:

• Bohemia - characterized by root crops with a high content of sucrose. Excellent as livestock feed. The average weight of a root crop is 2 kg. From each hundred square meters of planting, 3 centners of the crop are harvested.The ripening period of tubers is up to 80 days. suitable for long-term storage, root crops do not rot for a long time after harvesting.
• Bona - small root crops, 300 g each, which greatly facilitates the harvest. The level of sucrose is close to 12%. From the moment of planting the seeds to the growing season, 84 days pass. The main difference between the Bona variety and other varieties of sugar beet is its resistance to drought.

• Araxia is a variety with a high yield. 800 feed units are harvested from 1 hectare. Hollows in root crops are formed in rare cases.
• Bigben - a variety of German breeders, not prone to the formation of hollows in root crops. The yield is high, 700 centners per 1 ha. The level of sucrose reaches 15.7%.

In the household, sugar beets are not planted in hectares, so the main thing is to choose high-quality seeds. This is the only way to grow a small but high-quality crop.

Sowing beets

Sowing sugar beets is an important step that is recommended to pay attention to. Seeds of sugar beet varieties need pre-treatment before planting them in the soil. This will increase productivity. Sow planting material in spring. After the soil warms up at a depth of 5 cm by 6-8 degrees, planting is stopped.

Sowing seeds is preceded by soaking them in a solution of wood ash. So the beets will rise faster. The depth of planting seeds is from 2 to 4 cm. Between the rows leave gaps of 45 cm (depending on the structure of the soil). Grooves are made in the soil and seeds, previously mixed with sand, are poured out in a thin stream. After that, the groove is covered with soil.

Planting and growing sugar beets in open ground involves thinning the sprouts after they sprout. The number of plants should be such as not to interfere with each other's growth.Thin out the sprouts twice. The first time the sprouts are thinned out at a distance of 5-7 cm from each other. The second - at a distance of 15-18 cm. Immediately after planting, the beds are abundantly watered with warm water. In the future, sugar beets have enough moisture from the rains.

Weed protection

Sugar beet growing conditions require regular weed removal. In commercial farming conditions, herbicides are used to produce sugar because the planting area is too large. On personal plots, the manual method is mainly used. The beds are weeded or weeded by hand if there are few.

Weeding large areas, like weeding potatoes, is a long and laborious process. During the season, the plots are weeded from weeds several times. Especially at the beginning of the growing season, when young bushes quickly overgrow with weeds and die.

The use of herbicides is discouraged unless absolutely necessary.The use of herbicides is safe only after germination, until then it is advisable to use a manual method of removing weeds. Bushes are processed in the morning or in the evening, when the air temperature is from +15 to +25 degrees. First you need to look at the weather forecast so that it does not rain within 6-7 hours after spraying. After processing and cleaning the beds from weeds, the soil is watered.

Pests and diseases

Pests and diseases that spoil the crop and contribute to the death of plants can cause a lot of problems for summer residents.

Useful tips for sugar beet pests and diseases:

• As a preventive measure, bushes are regularly inspected for damage and insects.
• You can not water the bushes with cold tap water, it must warm up in the sun before watering.
• Dig up the soil in autumn to prevent pests in the spring.

A common disease of sugar beet is brown or late rot. Contribute to the development of the disease fungi. Also, beet aphids and nematodes often spread on beet beds. To eliminate insects, plantings during the growing season are sprayed with Fitosporin or Fitoverm. These preparations are biologically pure, do not pollute the soil and do not accumulate in root crops. At the same time, the use of these chemicals does not negatively affect the yield. In addition, Fitosporin is used in the spring when loosening the soil for planting seeds.

Three weeks before harvest, even if there are insects on the beds, the use of herbicides is not recommended.

Using chemically treated tubers for food or animal feed is fraught with poisoning to humans and death of livestock.

Harvesting

Vegetables begin to be harvested from the garden in August-September. Sugar beets are harvested from the site at the end of September. During harvesting, you need to be careful with elongated root crops, which immediately break if they move incorrectly. This helps to reduce shelf life.

The optimum storage temperature for root crops is +1-5. You can store fruits at sub-zero temperatures. But this is possible only in a cold climate, when it is frosty all winter. A sharp drop in temperature leads to rotting of root crops.

In the absence of storage facilities, special buildings or trenches are built. They are insulated with heat-insulating materials (straw, sawdust or carefully packed snow).

Sugar beet is often used in cooking. It is used instead of sugar for making sweet pastries, finely chopped before.Root vegetables are suitable for making salads. It is also used for the preparation of medicines. It is not recommended to eat beets only for people with diabetes.

Root vegetables are good for domestic chickens and ducks. If you add small pieces of root crops to the feed along with the grain, the bird will begin to grow faster and build up meat. It is useful to give chopped beets to cattle.

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