Beet root cultivation based on botany, plant characteristic, soil, climate, variety and varietal characteristic, problem in cultivation and their management practices and storage and post harvest handling.

1. Presented by :
Om Prakash Kumawat
M.Sc.(horticulture) Vegetable Science

3. Introduction
 Sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris) is a temperate crop and is mainly cultivated in the temperate
countries where sugarcane cultivation is not feasible
 Sugerbeet is a plant whose root contain a high conc. of sucrose, commercially grown for
sugar production.
 2nd most imp. sugar crops after sugarcane accounting for about 22% world sugar prod. and
distributed in 45 country.
 Sugarbeet root contains 15-20 % sucrose and in the process of sugar extraction, 12-14%
recovery is possible.
 Unlike sugarcane where sugar extraction is done through milling, the sugar from the beet, is
extracted by diffusion process.
 The beet roots are washed and cut into thin slices (cossetts). These slices are put in hot water
which soaks the sugar out and forms syrup. The syrup is then purified, filtered and boiled
again. Finally it is dried to sugar, which is packaged and marketed.

4. USES
 Apart from sugar, ethanol can also be extracted
 Ethenol can be blended with petrol or diesel to the extent of 10% and used as
biofuel.
 pharmaceutical industry for vitamin B12 production
 Beet top used as a green fodder
 Beet pulp used as cattle feed
 Sugarbeet being a salt tolerant crop, can also be grown in saline soils where other crops
fail to grow
 It ameliorates salt affected soils with promoting soil fertility

5. Botanical Discription
 Family – chenopodiaceae
 Biennial plant, but usually cultivated as an annual for its sugar.
 Roots – tap root system
 Stem – reduced in size( condensed)
 Leaves – simple and smooth with a large blade and petiole.
 Inflorescence- terminal open penicle
 Flowers are imperfect, regular without patels

6. Soil and Climate
 Cold climate crop.
 Average rainfall –300-350 mm
 Germination temp -15 *c
 Ideal temperature –20-22*c, temp. more than 30*c retard sugar accumulation
 Well drained sandy loam to clay loamsoil
 Soil with pH value upto9.5

7. Field preparation
 One deep ploughing with MB plough followed by 2-3 cross harrowing
 Planking should be done after ploughing
 Proper levelling is done so that water may not stand in field

8. Seed and sowing
 It can planted on rows on flat bed, or on 15 cm high ridges , 50 cm apart.
 Seed depth 2.5 cm
 Sowing is done by dibbling manually or by drilling.
 Seed rate require 6 pockets [3.6kg /ha.- One pocket contains 20000 seeds (600 g)]
 Optimum population is 1,00,000-1,20,000 /ha
 Spacing 50 cm*20 cm.
 Sowing time – oct 15 to Nov 10 are found to be optimum

9. Manure and Fertilizers
Manures and
Fertilizers
Basal Application Top dressing
Manures 12.5tonnes/ha -
Biofertilizers
Azospirillum
Phosphobacteria
2 kg /acre (10pockets)
2 kg /acre (10pockets)
-
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
120kg/ha (60kg at basal)
80kg/ha
80-100kg/ha
30kg– during thinning ,
30kg–earthing
-
-

10. Water Management
 Crop require 7 -8 irrigation, depending upon seasonal.
 One to two irrigation before thinning
 Subsequent irrigation at an interval of 20-25 days.
 Sugarbeet is sensitive to the inadequacy of water, so timely irrigation is necessory.
 water does not remain standing in the field for more than 24hr.

11. Thinning
 The multigerm seeds of sugarbeet give rise to a no. of seedlings and hence it is
necessary to thin them to maintain optimum plant population.
 Thinning is done after 30 DAS.
 The earthing up operations coincides with top dressing of N fertilizer.

12. Weed control
 Sugarbeet crop is kept weed free for first 35-45 days, because severe compitition in
early stages.
 3-4 hand weeding
 Pre-emergence herbicide – pyramin @ 3kg a.i/ha (600- 1000 litre of water).
 Post emergence – Betanal @ 2kg a.i/ha (600-1000 litre of water).

13. Recommended Varieties
1. Crimson Globe
Most popular variety among the farmers.
Maturation time 70-90 days.
Root shape – Globular.
Colour exterior reddish purple, interior deep raddish purple.
2. Detroit Dark Red
Maturation time 75-90 days.
Root shape – Globular.
Colour exterior reddish purple, interior deep raddish purple.
3. Red Ace
4. Star 1102

14. Harvesting and yield
 Done from march end to may and delayed upto mid june .
 Roots can be loosened in soil by MB plough.
 After collection, the tops and crown are cut off from the roots.
 Now roots are ready to be sent to factory.
 Yield – 500 to 700 quintals.

15. Disease and Insect pest
Disease Causal organism control
Sclerotium root rot Sclerotium rolfsii Drenching of brassicol (75% wp) @
15kg/ha
Cercospora leaf spot Cercospora beticola Bavistin @0.75 kg
Insects
grassy cutworm
Bihar hairy caterpiller
Sugarbeet army worm