Fodder beet: how it differs from sugar beet, its varieties, cultivation and care with photo

Fodder beet is a leader in household and commercial production. The root crop is an indispensable food for dairy cattle, pigs, rabbits and horses in the winter. The culture is rich in fiber, pectin, carbohydrates, mineral s alts and protein.

Features of the culture and the difference between fodder beet and sugar beet

Fodder beet and sugar beet are similar in appearance. It can be difficult to tell one from the other.

The main difference between the 2 crops is the sugar and protein content, which affect the scope. Sugar beet is rich in sucrose, which is washed out of the cake, bleached and crystallized, and feed beet, thanks to protein, is able to create a complete diet for the animal.

External differences are as follows:

1. Stern has a slightly reddish or orange tint, round or oval shape, dense ovoid glossy tops of 35-40 leaves. The root crop during growth begins to stretch upward and sticks out of the ground.
2. Sugar can be white or beige, elongated. The plant has long green tops of 50-60 smooth leaves on a long stem. The fruit is completely hidden underground.
3. The planting and growing methods of the 2 crops are also different: the difference is that sugar beet has short roots, and fodder reaches deep into the soil in search of moisture, so the root can reach 3 m.Therefore, the crop can grow even in arid regions of the country without active additional watering.

Crop varieties

There are many varieties of fodder beet, each with its own characteristics and requirements for growing conditions. The most common ones

1. Eckendorf yellow fodder beet has a cylindrical shape, protruding a third from the ground, white juicy pulp. The culture growth period is 140-155 days. The variety perfectly tolerates low temperatures, is undemanding to the soil, is an excellent feed for cattle, as it helps to increase milk production.
2. The Centaur variety belongs to the semi-sugar type, has white fruits of an elongated oval shape, weighing 1.2-2.7 kg, with a shallow root furrow. The plant is undemanding to moisture and soil composition. The root crop sticks out of the ground by 40%, which greatly facilitates the assembly process.The vegetation period of the Centaur variety is 145 days.
3. Hybrid varieties of beet Ursus belong to the semi-sugar multigerm type. The plant has a yellow-orange cylindrical root crop, weighing up to 6 kg, more than half sticking out of the ground. Beet Ursus is able to grow quickly even in dry and unfertilized soil. The growing season is 145 days.
4. Record variety is a multi-sprout plant of semi-sugar species. It belongs to the middle late cultures. Beets have cylindrical-conical fruits of pink color, weighing up to 6 kg and 40% immersion. The variety is disease resistant and keeps well. The growing season of the plant is 145 days.
5. Kyiv pink beet variety belongs to multi-germ mid-season types. The culture has cylindrical-oval orange fruits with a small shallow root groove, half immersed in the soil. Beets have a high yield. It tolerates drought well and is resistant to pests and diseases.
6. Buriak Brigadier is distinguished by oval-cylindrical smooth shiny fruits of orange-green color, weighing up to 3 kg, with a high sugar content. The variety is drought-resistant and undemanding to the composition of the soil. The growing season is 120 days.
7. Lada is a single-sprout variety of fodder beet with a white or pinkish-white oval-cylindrical root crop with a pointed base. Its weight can reach 25 kg. Immersion of a root crop - 40-50%. The plant is resistant to drought and diseases, it is well stored. The leaves remain juicy and green until harvest, which is important if they are used as raw materials.
8. Buryak Nadezhda has a single-sprouted seed, the hybrid variety is grown in the conditions of the North-Western, Middle Volga and Far Eastern regions. The oval-cylindrical red fruit has an immersion of 40%. It is characterized by high productivity.
9. Milan variety belongs to single-sprout semi-sugar types. Beetroot grows rapidly in the initial stages, has oval-shaped fruits, white below and green above, with 60-65% immersion. The plant is characterized by long storage, resistance to diseases and color.
10. Fodder beet Vermont is a single-seeded hybrid variety. The root crop is a cylindrical-conical yellow-orange color of medium size.
11. Jamon is a one-seeded variety with a cylindrical-conical root crop, yellow-orange at the bottom and orange at the top. Differs in average resistance to damage by tserkosporioz. Not interested in root eater.
12. Starmon has a cone-shaped root crop, yellow on the bottom and green on top. The variety prefers loamy, sandy loamy fertile soils.

Growing process

Although a fodder crop belongs to unpretentious plants, there are a number of rules, the observance of which will lead to maximum crop yield. It is important what soil is sown in, how deep the seeds are placed, how many beets grow and when it is better to fertilize them.

Soil preparation

Before sowing, it is necessary to properly prepare the soil, based on what type it is and what has grown on it before. Growing fodder beets on an agricultural type site that has not been used for several years needs to be weeded first.

If the soil in the field belongs to black earth, loam or sandy loam, additional feeding is not required. In other cases, the cultivation of personal plots involves feeding in the fall, while plowing the land. To do this, compost is introduced into the soil in the amount of 35 tons per 1 ha with the addition of 5 centners of wood ash.

Immediately before sowing, the field is plowed again and nitroammophoska is applied in the amount of 15 g per 1 m².

Weed control

Weed control is not limited to weeding rows in the early stages of the growing season. Mandatory is the processing of special means in order to make the site as clean as possible. This will greatly facilitate the care of fodder beets and increase yields.

If perennial weeds grow on the site that is used for sowing, in the fall, treatment with continuous herbicides such as Hurricane, Buran, Roundup is carried out in advance.

Sowing

The vegetation period of fodder beet is 125-150 days, so it is necessary to plant seeds in early spring, preferably in the second half of March, when the soil is warm enough.

Beetroot culture is sown in pre-made furrows along the entire length of the plot, at a distance of at least 60 cm from each other. Next, it is necessary to determine in what quantity and how to plant seeds, planting most varieties requires 12-15 g of seeds per 1 linear meter (150 g per hundred square meters).The sowing depth is 3 cm with an interval of 25 cm. At the end of the furrow, they are covered with earth.

Crop care: agricultural technology

First of all, crop care includes high-quality watering, the result of which is the preservation of green and juicy tops for the longest possible time.

If the soil temperature is unstable, a crust may form before emergence, which should be broken up with a rotary hoe, driving the machine across the rows or at an angle of 30-40°. After the appearance of the first shoots, the first loosening of the row spacing is carried out to a depth of up to 5 cm.

When the first pairs of true leaves begin to form, excess sprouts are removed with a cultivator and a thinner.

Immediately after breaking through the row-spacing, loosen to a depth of 6 cm, repeating the procedure as needed until the tops close.

Fertilizers

In order to get a big harvest, it is necessary to feed the beetroot (how to feed the fodder beet depends on the type of soil and its composition). There are a number of fertilizers that can be fertilized as follows:

1. Nitrogen preparation is applied in the amount of 120-150 kg/ha. Should be applied for the first time during seedbed preparation.
2. Phosphorus and potash are applied during plowing the plot in autumn in the amount of 90-120 kg/ha, before sowing seeds - 150-200 kg/ha.
3. Boric fertilizers are applied separately or as part of complex top dressing by foliar application under beets, when 3-4 true leaves have developed on the bushes, in the amount of 180-200 kg/ha.

Protecting culture

There are many pests and diseases that affect beet fruits and leaves. They are not dangerous to the animal when feeding, but can infect the entire field and destroy crops and an adult plant.

During the indicated periods of growth, beets are examined, carefully studying the leaves and fruits. If lesions are detected, it is treated with special preparations.

Harvesting

Even a good fodder beet harvest can be lost if it is not harvested on time, before the temperature reaches +7 °C. Often this happens in late September - early October.

Depending on the area of the site, the collection is carried out manually or using machinery. A special combine or a simple potato digger will do.

Storage

Fodder crop is stored in special storages, which are equipped with a ventilation system and maintaining a stable temperature of +1… +2 °C.

On personal plots, piles 3 m wide, 1.5 m high, 25-30 m long are organized. From above they are covered with straw and earth. The cover layer must be at least 60 cm thick.

Feeding cows

Before giving beetroot to cows, it is steamed or boiled and allowed to cool. Do not store raw materials after heat treatment. Already after 5 hours, poisons dangerous to the he alth of cattle begin to be released in it, the concentration of which reaches a maximum after 22 hours.

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