Sugar beet continued from page 19
the production of fl owers – which is undesirable because the plant will produce seed instead of build- ing sugar in the root. Dr Bowen explains: “A long growing season will improve the yield and sugar concentra- tion, but an early sowing increas- es the risk of bolting.” The trials include a compari- son between Early Sown Bolting (ESB) and Normal Sown Bolting (NSB) to see how a variety per- forms under severe conditions. Results mean growers can make an informed decision about the risk of bolting.
Resistance
Disease resistance is also im- portant. Some of the new varie- ties have claims by the breeder that they are tolerant to Beet Cyst Nematode (BCN). But the mechanism behind this is not known.
BBRO lead scientist Mark Ste-
vens says: “Disease resistance to rust and powdery mildew is given a score based on percentage leaf infection. We have recently start- ed conducting powdery mildew tri- als under controlled conditions to provide a reliable assessment of the plant’s resistance regardless of the disease risk for that season.”
“
ugar beet breeder Strube has two new varieties on the BBRO/BSPB Recom- mended List for 2018 – offering growers a wider choice of genet- ic diversity.
S
The two new Strube varieties are Landon, a high sugar varie- ty with excellent establishment suitable for later drilling; and Degas, a low-bolting variety for earlier drilling, which combines improved sugar content with vig- orous growth for rapid ground cover.
Landon and Degas join
Strube’s established varieties: Haydn and Pasteur, which make up nearly one third of the UK Na- tional crop in 2017. Strube UK managing director Richard Pow- ell stressed the need for farmers to consider genetic diversity when choosing which varieties to grow. “This is recognised in UK prac-
tice, where no single variety is al- lowed to take more than 20% of the market. Ten of the twelve highest yielding varieties are derived from a similar genetic background. In the interests of managing risk, it makes sense to choose varieties from differ- ent breeders.” With so many varieties on the list having only trials data derived from a small amount of seed, Mr Powell says it makes good sense to keep a decent pro- portion of the crop in commercial- ly proven varieties which have been well tested from large pro-
20 ANGLIA FARMER • JUNE 2017
Varieties have to perform well over three years of field trials
New Strube varieties contribute to rising sugar beet yields
Improving the quality and con- sistency of the RL programme will continue to drive yield, says BBRO head Colin MacEwan (pic- tured left). “Having a strong list of varieties with background on how they perform year after year in the fi eld will help growers se- lect the best varieties for their con- ditions.
“It will also be possible for them to benchmark their yields against crops grown under best practice,” says Mr MacEwan. “I be- lieve the attention to detail given by the Recommended List Board will continue to pay dividends in the future.”
Good season for growers
After two years of reduced plantings, 2016-17 looks like being a positive season for beet growers, says NFU sug- ar chairman Michael Sly, “We are coming out of two
years where we were on re- duced planting to help Brit- ish Sugar manage the high stock levels it had from the 2014-15 crop,” Mr Sly told a recent NFU council meeting at Stoneleigh Park, Warwick- shire.
Well prepared New variety Landon has excellent establishment, says Strube
ductions of commercial seed. For the fourth year in succes-
sion, Haydn will make up near- ly 20% of the UK national sug- ar beet crop in 2017. This is the maximum market share allowed by British Sugar for a single va- riety and demonstrates Haydn’s continued success. Mr Powel says: “The combina- tion of consistent yields, decent sugars and very low bolting in a commercially proven variety still appeals. In the last four years we have supplied over 100 tonnes of seed – so growers know what to expect.”
Pasteur also proves how a va- riety can be successfully scaled up to long term production. Sev- en years after it was fi rst recom- mended, Pasteur is still grown on one in ten fi elds in the UK – pop- ular for its consistent yields, good establishment and low bolting. In the specialist category,
Strube’s Thor is the only Fully Recommended variety with tol- erance to Beet Cyst Nematode. It claims to offer sound, afforda- ble performance in fi elds infested with nematodes with the added advantage of low bolting to allow earlier drilling.
Some 79,000ha were plant- ed in 2016 and it looked like growers were on course to plant 107,000ha in 2017 – equivalent to 8m tonnes of beet, he said. In addition, the sector was well prepared for the end of quotas on produc- tion this autumn.
But Mr Sly voiced con- cern at EU proposals
to
extend a ban on neonicoti- noid seed treatments to cover sugar beet. Doing so would make it more diffi cult for growers to control pests such as aphids, which cause virus yellows.
“Loss of this seed treat- ment potentially threatens a 20-30% loss in yield on an an- nual basis for the sugar beet crop – and the UK is in the top three producers in Europe. We don’t want to see that advan- tage lost.”
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