Journal of Sugar Beet
Year:2008 | Volume:23 | Issue:2|Papers Count:9

Water is the most important factor for agriculture development in Iran. Accordingly the optimal consumptione of water is very important. Using pressurized irrigation system is one of the methods to improve agricultural water management. The objecttives of this research were to compare two irrigation methods of furrow and trickle irrigation systems impacts on quantity and quality characters of sugar beet yield. The experimental deign was randomized complete blocks with four treatments and three replications in Hamedan province during 2002 to 2003. The treatments consisted of trickle (tape) irrigation of crop water requirement with three irrigation levels of %50, %75 and %100 and another treatment was furrow irrigation with irrigation level of %100 crop water requirement. Combined analysis of variance showed that there were significant differences between years for sugar content, a– amino nitrogen, alcality, amount of sugar in molasses, root yield, sugar yield and white sugar yield. These characters, therefore varied dute year to year effects. Significant differences among treatments were only observed for K and alkality. However, the interaction of year with treatments was significant for sugar content, a–amino nitrogen, root yield, sugar yield and white sugar yield. The maximum and the minimum water use efficiency was related to trickle irrigation with 50% crop water requirement and furrow irrigation which were 1.19 and 0.6, kg/m3, respectively. Mean water consumption in furrow and trickle (Tape) irrigations of %100, %75 and %50 were 14886, 8932, 7309 and 5679 m3/ha respectively. The water consumption in trickle (Tape) irrigation of %100 decreased about %40 as compared to furrow irrigation But the root yield, sugar yield and white sugar yield of those treatments werenot different significantly. In conclusion, considering acceptable level of root yield and white sugar yield in sugar beet agronomy and regarding the decrease in water consumption and increase of water use efficiency trickle (Tape) irrigation under %100 and %75 crop water requirement seem to be recommended.

In order to evaluate some agronomical management on weed control in sugar beet this experiment was conducted at Safi-Abad Agr. Res. Center, Dezful in 2002 and 2004. Tow planting dates, September 16 and October 12 and five cultivator applications, one and two time application at 4-6 and 6-8 leaf stages, respectively and once plus hand hoeing, weedy and weed free checks arranged in split plot design with four replications. Main plots, sub-plots assigned to planting dates and cultivator, respectively. Weed number was counted after application of cultivator and weed fresh weight and root quality and quantity was measured at harvest on early to mid May. In the first year, planting dates have not significant effects on sugar beet yield and quality, weed number and weed fresh weight. There are significant differences among cultivator treatments for most of sugar beet yield and quality traits, weed number and weed fresh weight. In the second year, the planting date did not also significantly affect the root yield, sugar yield and sugar content, and the cultivator treatments showed significant differences only for root and sugar yields. The combined analysis showed that there were significant differences between years for sugar beet root quality and quantity, weed number and weed fresh weight. Planting date has significant effect on potassium and harmful nitrogen. Root and sugar yield, weed number and weed fresh weight were significantly influenced by cultivator treatments.

During 2001-2005, 79 isolates of Rhizoctonia from seed rot, seedling damping-off, root rot and dry rot canker of sugar beet were collected. Based on morphological characteristics, number of nuclei per cell and hyphal diameter, isolates were classified in two groups, binucleate (4 isolates) and multinucleate (75 isolates). Among 75 multinucleate isolates, 27 isolates were identified as AG4, 28 isolates as AG2, two isolates as AG3 and one isolate as AG5. The remaining of the isolates (17 isolates) did not anastomose with any of tester cultures. Most of isolates of AG2 had been isolated from root rot symptoms, but AG4 isolates from damping –off and root rot symptoms. From dry rot canker symptoms with concentric ring on the root surface of sugar beet, 5 Rhizoctonia isolates were collected, that did not anastomose with any tester cultures. Optimum temperature for mycelial growth ranged from 25 to 30, but for dry rot canker isolates was above 30oC. Pathogenicity test was carried out in in vitro condition. Representative isolates from each AG and each geographic location were selected for pathogenicity test. Results showed that the isolates varied in their virulence. AG4 isolates were highly virulent on seedling and more virulent than AG2 isolates. AG3 and AG5 isolates caused superficial discoloration on seedling. From binucleate isolates, two of them were as pathogenic as dry rot canker isolates. Virulence variation of selected isolates of different anastomosis groups were also investigated on mature sugar beet plants under greenhouse conditions. Results showed that both isolates of anastomosis groups 2 and 4 had the ability to cause root rot, however, the disease severity of anastomosis group 2 (AG-2) on mature plants was higher than those of AG-4 group.

General combining ability of sugar beet parents were determined for different quantity and quality characteristics. Forty six sugar beet hybrids obtained from crosses of 23 diploid pollinators with two male sterile parents as tester together with three checks were evaluated for 10 important agronomic and technological characters at Kamalshar Research Station in Karaj in 2004.Experiment was carried out as a 7*7 lattice design with four replications. There were significant differences between treatments for root yield, sugar content, nitrogen, sodium, potassium, white sugar yield, extractable sugar, sugar yield, purity and molassed sugar at 1% probability level. The check varieties were excluded before the analysis of data for combining abilities. General combining ability of lines was significantly different for sugar content and extractable sugar at 1% and for root yield, sugar yield, white sugar yield, sodium, purity, and molassed sugar at 10% probability level and for potassium at 5% probability level. As the general combining ability was significant for the above traits it could be concluded that they are controlled by additive gene effects. In addition, specific combining ability of lines was significantly different for sugar content, extractable sugar and potassium at 1% and for nitrogen at 5% probability levels. There for, non-additive effects of genes are involved in the control of these traits. 

During the summer of 2004, a survey was conducted to determine the incidence and distribution of Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) and its vector (Polymyxa betae Keskin) in Marvdasht, Fars province of Iran. A total of 353 root samples were collected randomly as well as 124 samples from plants showing rhizomania- associated symptoms. The presence of BNYVV in the samples were tested by triple-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (TAS-ELISA) using the specific antisera against BNYVV (Adgen diagnostic, UK). BNYVV was serologically detected in 48.2% and 81.0% of randomly and symptomatically collected samples, respectively. Root beard extracts that were positive for BNYVV in ELISA tests were mechanically inoculated on indicator host plants, which resulted in chlorotic followed by necrotic lesions in Chenopodium quinoa and local necrotic lesion in C. amaranticolor. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using specific primers for BNYVV RNA 1 to 4 confirmed the presence of BNYVV in the samples. As BNYVV is transmitted by P. betae and preserved a long time in resting spores of this fungus, distribution of this fungus was also determined. The samples were tested by PCR for evaluation of the presence of P. betae using the specific primers and the vector was found in 94% of the fields surveyed. Finally RNA 4 of BNYVV was partially sequenced and compared with other submitted sequences in GeneBank and showed 99.3% and 99.6% similarity with Japanese and Italian isolates, respectively.

For determining sugar beet water requirements, this work was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station of Torog in Mashhad for 3 years. Crop water requirement was measured by a drainage type lysimeter with dimension of 2*2*1 m. In order to reduce side effects, an area about 1600 m2 around the lysimeter (as a guard) was cultivated with sugar beet. Soil water content was measured by tensiometer. Results showed that sugar beet water requirement were 1188, 1348 and 1092 mm during the three growing seasons (1997-1999) with the mean of 1221 mm. Rain were 96, 138.3 and 61.2 mm during the three growing seasons. The mean of root and gross sugar yield were 56.5 and 10.05 t/ha, respectively. The values of water use efficiencies regarding root and sugar yield were 4.63 and 0.82 kg/m3, respectively. Based on results, the value of hydromodol was 1.14 l/s/ha and this value is necessary for irrigation system design and irrigation projects.

In this paper, productivity of and demand for water throughout Eqlid’s Sugar beet growers in 1385 were investigated. To address the objective 100 growers were selected using two-stage cluster sampling, then required dataset was obtained by interviewing and completing questionnaire. In order to study factors affecting Sugar beet production, Cobb-Douglas production function was applied. Based on the findings, water, poison, machinery, cropping area and credits were revealed to affect production significantly, with positive effect of water and machinery. Average and marginal productivity of water were 0.89 and 0.304, respectively. According to R2 coefficient, it was recognized that estimated production function can explain 85% of production changes. The results also showed demand elasticity of more than unit for water, indicating elastic demand relative to input price. So, using appropriate price policy can depart toward preventing irregular use of water and leading growers toward its optimal use.

In 2006 the sugar beet crop production in Iran was largest ever. In this year, 6,603,383 t with average sugar content of 16.84% delivered to the 32 sugar factories during five months of the campaign. From beginning of the campaign until early–November there was balance between the amount of sugar beet delivered and that of processed by the sugar factories. However, delivered beet to the factories exceeded than that processed by the factories during late–November and early-December, mostly due to risk of being frozen. Therefore, storage beets in the factories were 1,500,000 t for ten days in early–December. The amount of delivered beet in 2006 was 35% larger than that in 2005 (4,896,835 t), but the average sugar content was 1.5% less. The highest sugar content was recorded in the Fars province. During the campaign of 2006, beet juice purity showed reduction pattern. In addition, due to limitation in the capacity of some sugar factories, amount of 1,118,500 t sugar beets were transported on average 422 km from one province to another. For this transportation, about 100,000 trucks were used to travel on average 400 km and approximately 17,000,000 litters fuel were consumed. In general, it is necessary to manage the harvesting sugar beet and their delivery to the factory, to minimize sugar beet losses during the campaign.