Journal of Sugar Beet
Year:2013 | Volume:29 | Issue:1|Papers Count:10

For development of parental pollinators of sugar beet resistant to powdery mildew disease, a rather resistant 14442 population was used. Based on the resistance index, 50 resistant plants were selected to produce half sib families (H.S.F). After open pollinating between these 50 plants, seeds of H.S.F were harvesed. Among these 50 plants, 39 plants produced enough seed. This H.S.F were planted in one raw plot with six replications and evaluated for disease resistance in the next year. Three H.S.Fs (H.S.F13, H.S.F24 and H.S.F35) with high level of resistance were selected. These three families were expressed to selection 150 roots were selected to produce next half sib families. Among these 150 families, 88 roots produced enough seed. In the next cycle, 88 new H.S.F were evaluated for disease resistance and three H.S.Fs (H.S.F5, H.S.F17 and H.S.F22) with high level of resistance were selected. From each H.S.F, 35 roots were selected to produce S1 lines. In the cage, among 105 roots, only 13 plants produced enough seed. 13 S1 were evaluated again for disease resistance in the next year. Low level of infection (12.9 %) was observed in the S1 lines. Therefore, selection in the 14442 population for powdery mildew resistance was very effective, and the plants selected in this method showed 72.6 % selection progress. Because of the high resistance of the S1 lines, they could be used to develop powdery mildew resistancte varieties.

‫ Pycnocyla spinosa (Umbellifereae) is a wild growing plant in Isfahan, Fars, and Yazd provinces, Iran. The roots of the plant contain substantial amount of sucrose. Seasonal variation of sucrose in the plant was evaluated in order to find out the best collection time for the plant. The root of the plant was collected weekly. The sucrose content of the roots was determined using polarimetr. The results indicate that the best time of collection of P. spinosa is in July. It seems P. spinosa can be considered as a source of sucrose for further agrochemical studies.

In order to investigate the physiological and morphological traits of seven autumn sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) cultivars (Jolge, Palma, Giada, Monotunno, SBSI1, Suprema and PP8), under freezing stress, a study was carried out as a factorial experiment (7×10) based on randomized complete block design with three replications in college of Agriculture of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. The plants at seedling stage were exposed to ten freezing temperatures (0, -2, -4, -6, -8,-10, -12, -14, -16 and -18oC). Then, electrolyte leakage percentage, yield of quantum efficiency (Fv/Fm), net photosynthesis, leaf number, leaf area, root length, root diameter and survival percentage indices were measured. Results showed that survival and electrolyte leakage percentage in Monotunno cultivar was 88 and 26 %, respectively, which showed superiority over other cultivars. The Minimum and maximum value of LT50su (-16.9 and -15.2oC) and also Fv/Fm (0.7 and 0.59) were observed in Monotunno and SBSI1 cultivars, respectively. Results indicated a strong and negative correlation between Electrolyte leakage (EL) and survival percentage (r = -0.65***) and also among EL with other traits, whereas survival percentage had a strong and positive correlation with leaf number (r = 0.88***) and root length (r=0.87***). A significantly positive correlation (r = 0.97***) between survival percentage and Fv/Fm ratio and also a negatively significant correlation between Fv/Fm and LT50su (r = -0.85***) and LT50el (r = -0.84***) showed the cultivars with high survival percentage and also low electrolyte leakage have high Fv/Fm compared with sensitive cultivars. In cold tolerant cultivars with reduction of EL% the LT50el and LT50su indices decreased significantly, but correlation between LT50el and LT50su was significantly positive (r= 0.75*).

This study was conducted to determine the effect of variable nitrogen supply on yield parameters of two sugar beet varieties, as well as on biomass allocation to different parts of sugar beet plant at Safi-Abad Agric. Res. Center during 2003-4 and 2004-5. Five nitrogen rates (0, 60, 120, 180 and 240 kgha-1) and two monogerm sugar beet varieties (Shirin and Rasol) were arranged as factorial in a randomized complete block design with four replications. There was a significant difference between years for most sugar beet yield parameters. In the first year, nitrogen had no significant effect on root yield (mean of five rates was 93 t/ha) but changed sugar content significantly. N0 had the highest sugar content (13.7%). In the second year, root yield was influenced significantly by nitrogen so that N240 produced the highest root yield (80.9 tha-1) whereas sugar content did not change significantly. There were no significant differences between two varieties for all yield parameters in the two years. Increasing N shifted allocation of biomass to petiole and crown and reduced its allocation to root. But no differences between nitrogen rates for biomass allocation to leaf were found. All nitrogen rates had same leaf number, leaf area index and canopy closure during the first year, but during the second year increasing nitrogen levels accelerated canopy closure and increased leaf number and leaf area index. Nitrogen had no significant effect on nitrogen content and nitrogen uptake of different plant parts in the first year. Total nitrogen uptake by sugar beet at the end of season was 574 kgha-1 in the first year. In the second year, total nitrogen uptake was influenced by application of nitrogen, so that uptakes in 0 and 240 kgha-1 N were 186 and 351 kgha-1 respectively.

Estimation of optimum fertilizer rates is needed because of growing economic and environmental concerns. Optimum fertilizer rates can be determined by fitting statistical models to yield data collected from N fertilizer experiments. The main goal of this research was to compare and evaluate quadratic, square root, Mitscherlich, rectangular hyperbola, linear plus plateau and quadratic plus plateau models for describing the response of sugar beet to N fertilizer. Data used were obtained from a furrow irrigation system experiment with five N fertilizer rates: zero (control), 60, 120, 180, and 240 N kgha-1 with three replications in Ekbatan Research Station, Hamedan, Iran, during 2003 and 2004. Economic optimum N fertilizer rates were obtained based on fertilizer and sugar beet price during 2003 and 2004. Economic, optimum N fertilizer rates varied depending on the fertilizer to crop price ratio and models used. Results of this research showed the quadratic model described the yield responses and economic, optimum N fertilizer rate in sugar beet cultivation better than the other models. Economic, optimum N fertilizer rates due to this model were 235.8 and 248.9 kgha-1 in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Economic optimum N fertilizer rates based on N fertilizer subsidy and non-subsidy prices were 234.7 and 225.1 kgha-1 for 2003 model, and 247.9 and 240.8 kgha-1 for 2004 model, respectively.

In order to determine the optimum sowing and harvesting dates of two autumn sugar beet cultivars (Bete vulgaris L.) and develop the planting area of this crop, the present research was conducted in Fasa, Iran during 2005-2008. The experiment was carried out in split-split plots based on randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. Three sowing dates (September 27, October 17 and November 6) were assigned to main plots, two commercial sugar beet cultivars (BR1 and Rasoul) to sub- plots and three harvesting dates (April 30, May 26 and June 20) to sub-sub plots. During the growing period, parameters such as number of plants, lost plants, growth rate and bolting percentage were determined. The root yield was measured by harvesting the roots from the two middle rows of plots. Characteristics such as root yield, sugar content, impurities (K, Na and α-amino nitrogen) and white sugar percentage, purity of raw extract, alkalinity and molasses sugar were measured. Results showed that bolting percentages of sowing dates were significantly different at 1% level of probability. The highest bolting percentage (18.409%) was obtained from September 27 sowing date. Sowing dates (September 27 and November 6) had the lowest bolting percentage (5.420% and 2.870%, respectively). The bolting percentage, root yield, sugar content, impurities, and purity of raw extract, alkalinity, molasses sugar and white sugar yield of the cultivars were not significant. The maximum bolting percentage obtained from the harvesting date (June 20) was 9.964%. Maximum root yield and white sugar yield was obtained from the sowing date (September 27) and harvesting date (June 20) which were 58.486 and 5.360 tha-1, respectively. With respect to the increased yield due to planting date of September 27 and harvesting date of June 20, use of bolting tolerant cultivars to ensure higher quality and yield I recommended.

The objective of this study was to determine the allowed and desired limits for heavy soils of texture (clay loom), as it has operational capability (friability), These limits were 6.34 mm for planting and 10.62 mm for harvesting in each raining or irrigation episode. We determined some factors that affect soil wetness and water content as follow: the amount and severity of rain, the condition of soil’s drainage, the percent of air moisture, evapotranspiration, the amount of runoff, the amount and severity of sunlight, the ambient temperature, the condition of vegetation and, the soil texture. The time needed for dryness and removal of soil moisture as evapotranspiration in each over- desired and allowed capacity rains are 5-7 days. Also, because of higher evaporation in planting time (late April and early May) than in harvesting time (November), and also higher surface temperature in spring, both result in moving the vapor from deeper layers of soil to surface. Therefore, as our result showed, the time needed for readiness of soil for machinery operation at time of planting are 5 days for planting (late April and early May) and 7 days for harvesting time (November). According to our calculation, 19.5% of rains at planting time and 7.5% at harvest time changed to run- off; and with taking this amount of run- off in account at allowed- limit calculation, and also because of texture of the studied soil, the maximum allowed rain in which the soil remains in proper condition for machinery planting and harvesting activities exceeded 7.6 and 11.41 mm in each rainy day. As a result, according to limiting factor of well doing of operations and also factors affecting these restricting factors, the number of working days for mechanized planting operation was found to be about 19.69 days and also 21.98 days for harvesting operations in farms with heavy soil with 98% of probability.

In process of sucrose determination in sugar beet, pulp analysis by polarometric method is done on the basis of fresh root weight. The volume of the juice of 26 grams of the pulp is considered 23 ml that with 177 ml of clarifying agent would be 200 ml. Drought stress and dehydrated root reduce. The volume of the pulp extract of 23 ml. The objective of this experiment was to determine the proper method for juice extraction from beet roots grown under drought, salinity and normal conditions in the procedure of sugar content measurement. Sugar beet roots produced under various conditions were subjected to dehydration after harvest. Three levels of dehydration [(A) including fresh beet with 76±1 percent moisture (a1), dehydrated roots up to 70± 1 (a2) and 63± 1 (a3) percent water content] and three juice extraction methods [(traditional cold digestion (b1), hot digestion (b2) and improved French method (b3)] were arranged in a factorial experiment (3*3) in CRD with 12 replications. Sugar content, dry matter, marc, brix and juice electrical conductivity were determined for all treatments. The results showed that beet dehydration from 76 to 68 percent increased both dry matter and marc contents from 24 to 32 and from 4.7 to 7.1 percent, respectively. In normal roots there was no significant difference in terms of sugar content determination by various extraction methods. However, sugar content of beet roots grown under semi-salinity (P<0.05), salinity and drought (P<0.01) conditions were affected significantly by extraction methods. These differences are presumably due to differences in marc and dry matter contents. In conclusion, overall there was no difference between the hot digestion and French methods in all conditions. Whereas, the difference of traditional methods with French method for dry matter of 24 to 27 percent was not significant. Thus, it is recommended to determine sugar content of beet roots having up to 27 percent dry matter by cold digestion method and in the beet roots of greater than 27 percent dry matter the proper way of juice extraction is French method.

The purpose of this study is measuring total factor productivity (TFP) growth of sugar beet for different provinces of Iran and then decomposing it to the changes in technical change, managerial efficiency change and scale efficiency change. For this purpose we used the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method and Malmquist productivity index. Results showed that average growth of total factor productivity of sugar beet in country level has been 47 percent during 2000-2007. On the other hand, comparisons between provinces indicate negative TFP growth for Ghazvin, Markazi and Hamedan provinces. Negative growth of productivity in these provinces is often due to managerial technical inefficiency. So, this study proposes that these three provinces, could improve their TFP growth by following successful provinces.