Sugar Beet Production Technology

Soil requirement

Sugar beet crop flourish best in loam’s and clay loam’s with a near neutral pH. Acidic conditions are
unfavorable to its growth. However, once established, sugar beet plants have a high tolerance against
saline or alkaline conditions.

Time of Planting

The best planting time of sugar beet is from mid to end of the October for Layyah, Bhakkar and Dera
Ismael Khan Regions. October sowing gives higher beet and sugar yields. If a farmer completes beet
sowing in this period, he can get the maximum yield and ultimately highest profit. Planting in November
gives lower beet root yield as well as sugar yield compared to October planted crop.

Selection of Variety

Varieties with higher beet root yield, sugar yield and particularly more disease resistant should be
selected very carefully as it has a great economic impact on both farmer plus millers.

Seed Bed Preparation

Cultivate the land properly, i.e. 2 times with cultivator and 1 deep plough (up to 15 inches). So that no
more clots are present in the soil. The soil should not be more powdery too. If soil is clottier then seed
may remain bare and that will result in poor germination. On the other hand powdery soil may become
compact and allow less seed germination. Soil should be porous and level so that water travels smoothly
in the field.

Planting Method

Single row top seeding at 45 cm gives higher yield, due mostly to the higher plant population. With this
method we can easily re-sow the seed and maintain the required plant population as well as harvesting
is easy. Use of beet planter saves time, labor and gives higher economic efficiency over manual sowing.

Seed Rate

Less seed rate results in lower plant population ultimately reduces the yield. So farmers must use 1-1.5
kg seed/acre in order to achieve recommended plant population and maximum beet yield.

Seed Depth

Seed depth should be appropriate i.e. not more than 1 inch. This is because if seed is deeper then seed
cannot germinate and there is a need to re-sow the seed. Alternatively if seed remains naked it cannot
germinate and hence affect plant population. So in this case we should place the seed very carefully to
avoid any type of loss or failure.

Row to Row Distance

Row to row distance depends upon the sowing method. If sowing is on top of the ridges then ridges
should be narrow (45 cm) so that we can maintain the plant population. With regarding double row
method, row to row space should be 75 cm. However, single row with top seeding at 45 cm gives higher
yield.
Ridge planting

Besides flat sowing method ridge plant is also an alternate technique. If seed bed is properly prepared
and ridges are of equal height and leveled, then farmer can achieve better seed germination and better
beet root formation. Sugar beet may be dibbled on top or both sides of the ridges depending upon ridge
to ridge distance (45 or 75 cm).

1.Single row planting: Planting will be done as a single row on the ridges if ridge to ridge distance is 45
cm apart.

II. Double row planting: Planting will be done as a double row on both sides of the ridges if ridge to
ridge distance is 75 cm apart.

Plant to Plant Distance

Plant to plant distance must be maintained up to 6-7 inches so that we can retain 40,000 plus plants. If
this distance is not maintained properly then it will affect the plant’s vegetative growth as well as root
size.

Plant Population

Plant population is the single most dominant factor affecting yield of beet roots. In order to maintain the
plant population check out the germination, if it is more than 80% then there is no need to re-sowing or
transplanting. But if it is less than required then re-sow the seed or transplant the plants from thick area.
The ideal plant density is 87,500 to 100,000 per hectare.

Thinning and Transplanting

Thinning is done in order to maintain the proper plant to plant distance so that plant growth is vigorous
and root size will be appropriate (1-1.5Kg/plant). It must be done when germination is completed. The
gaps should also be filled at proper time i.e. right after 30-40 days of germination. In this regard we can
transplant thinned out plants in gaps to avoid re-sowing.

Irrigation

Sugar beet is low delta crop (27 acre inches) requiring 8-10 irrigation during the growth period. It is
sensitive to both extremes, drought as well as excessive moisture. The latter is harmful to root quality.
Sugar beet is 6-7 months crop so it needs 8-10 irrigations. On an average, fields should be irrigated at 2-3
weeks interval. Adequate water supply is especially important during the critical growth stages namely
formative, leaf growth and root development. If soil is clayey then irrigation should be stopped 30-40
days before harvesting because this type of soil have more water holding capacity and crop does not face
any stress. In other case if soil is sandy then irrigation may be stopped 10-20 days before harvesting
because sandy soil has lesser water holding capacity and crop may goes into water stress. If irrigation is
not stopped before harvesting, it will cause in lesser yield as well as immature crop.

Fertilization

Application of Refree (Danedar) or Rector (Danedar) during land preparation is desirable for better initial
growth. In addition, application of 5 bags of urea, 4 bags of DAP and 3 bags of SOP/hectare are
recommended to provide the required amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash nutrients for
optimum growth. Whereas full amount of DAP and SOP is applied at the time of sowing, urea may be
applied in 3 split doses i.e. at sowing, after thinning and after earthing up.

Optimum Dose and Time of Fertilization

The experiments proved that the optimum dose of fertilizer for sugar beet crop NPK is Nitrogen @ 120
kg/ha, phosphorus (P2O5) @ 100 kg/ha and potash (K2O) @ 62.5 kg/ha. Phosphorus is a slow releasing
fertilizer so it should be applied as basal dose with last cultivation so that it must be mixed in the soil
properly. Nitrogen fertilizer can be applied in 3-4 split doses and it must be completed within three
months after germination. In sandy soils Zinc and other micronutrients application would also benefit
the crop in terms of yield, sugar recovery and disease resistance.

Weeding and Hoeing

Weeding and hoeing must be done at right time i.e. when vegetative growth is at peak and at the time of
root formation. It also depends on the field condition, farmer can visually observe the field to decide
whether there is a need to eradicate the weeds or not. Poor and untimely weeding can affected the
growth of crop and reduce yield.

Control of Pest / Diseases

Most common diseases of this crop are Rhizomania, Cercospora leaf spot, Powdery Mildew and Downy
Mildew. Rhizomania is a viral disease while other three are fungal and bacterial diseases. Army worm is a
major pest of sugar beet in area. If a crop is affected be any disease or insect pest, it must be properly
diagnosed first. If the damage by the pest or disease is up to threshold level and there is a threat that it
can damage the crop severely then apply the pesticide / fungicide immediately. If pest or disease is not
controlled then increase the dosage or change the chemical.