Sugar beet
Limagrain’s sugar beet varieties
offer flexibility with higher output • Suitable for early or late drilling • High yields and good sugar content • ‘Robust disease resistance package
T
he opportunity to grow a high yielding sugar beet variety with low bolting
fi gures – offering fl exibility in both early and later drilling slots – is promised by Limagrain’s newly recommended variety BTS 3325. “Choosing a new sugar beet va- riety is no longer just about out- put,” says Bram van der Have, sug- ar beet consultant for Limagrain. “ Agronomic characteristics such as bolting tolerance and disease resistance are becoming increas- ingly important characteristics to consider.”
BTS 3325 is a rhizomania tol- erant variety offering an adjust- ed tonnes yield of 103% and sugar content of 18.1% – one of the high- est on the BBRO Recommended List. Limagrain says it is an at- tractive proposition for growers and end-users alike.
“What make BTS 3325 so ex- citing is that alongside this high- er output, BTS 3325 has also demonstrated a very low Early sown Bolting (ESB) score – one of the lowest on the Recommend- ed List in this slot,” says Mr van der Have.
Flexible drilling
“It is likely to appeal to growers who are in a position to drill on or before the 5 March, so it’s the ide- al variety choice to start the beet sowing period, but it is also fl exi- ble enough to be sown later, with- out compromising its high yield and sugar content.”
BTS 3325 also offers a very ro- bust diseases resistance package, says Mr van der Have. Growers will it fi nd valuable, offering excel- lent rust resistance (7), and very good downy mildew and powdery mildew resistance, he adds. Mr van der Have also high- lights BTS 860. Recommended last year, it was one of the most popular beet varieties sown dur- ing 2017 due its high yield poten- tial and agronomic performance across a range of soil types and growing conditions.
“
Limagrain UK suggests that growers can be split into three categories: those who are hap- py to drill very early, those who are risk averse but looking for high yields, and those who are less risk averse and prepared to drill later and take the risk of higher bolting.
Depending on which category 26 ANGLIA FARMER • JUNE 2017
Bolting tolerance and disease resistance are becoming increasingly important
a grower sits in, it is important that farmers consider how vari- eties can support the best per- formance in that specifi c sector, says Ron Granger, arable techni- cal manager for Limagrain. “Early growers are considered to be those that are prepared to drill sugar beet as soon as con- ditions allow – end February on-
Adjusted tonnes vs early sown bolting tolerance “It is all very well to opt for to-
day’s top yielder on the recom- mended list, but will it be next year’s too? Consistency in per- formance is equally, if not more important than topping the yield table. One can budget on consist- ency but only gamble on the top yield.”
Consistent performer BTS 860 has shown itself to be a consistent performer offering a yield at 103.9% of controls, along- side an 18.1% sugar content on the Recommended List, making it an attractive variety for growers look- ing to meet the high requirements of sugar processing.
“BTS 860 is likely to appeal
to the vast majority of sugar beet growers who fi nd crops perform best when drilled during the con- ventional sugar beet drilling slot which our Betaseed breeders de- fi ne as from the second week of March until the end of the drill- ing period.”
During this sowing slot, BTS
860 has one of the lowest scores for tendency to bolt,says Mr Bram van der Have. “To sum up BTS 860 drilling virtues, it offers fl exible sowing and is suitable for early, normal and late sowing.” BTS 860 has a very good rat- ing of (6) for rust and good rating of (5) for powdery mildew. The va- riety has also exhibited tolerance to downy mildew.
Variety choice based on drilling time versus output
wards generally. Growers in this sector need varieties with good bolting resistance an important genetic trait offering crop securi- ty usually at the expense of yield. “However, you can see how the introduction of BTS 3325 bucks this trend.
“The largest sector of sug- ar beet growers in the UK are
those that are looking for high yields combined with lower bolt- ing characteristics, which means that they look to sow their beet only when conditions are suita- ble which is usually mid-March onwards.
“BTS 860 gives them this re- assurance offering a very high yield with lower bolting fi gures.”
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