New varieties are just reward for breeding investments
Farming is an industry in a state of constant change with pests and diseases bringing threats to production while a growing world population and spreading affluence support increasing demand. To thrive, farmers must be able to adapt to both the threats and opportunities. The opportunity for change extends to sugar beet production. World sugar consumption is forecast to increase by more than 20% by 2024 (compared with 2014) through population growth and higher consumption per capita. Growing demand from industry for ethanol, plastics and gas along with greater use in animal feeds will support further demand. The strong position of the sugar beet industry however, owes much to the investment in breeding and the continual advancement in yields, says Ben Bishop, KWS country manager for sugar beet in the UK. “Increasing sugar yield per unit of area is the overriding priority of breeders. KWS is committed to varieties capable of producing a sugar yield of 20t/ha. This will be essential to ensuring the crop is competitive on farm and to promoting an efficient industry at the national level,” he says. Progress has been exceptional. At a compound growth of about 2% year-on-year, sugar beet is vying with maize for the top spot in yield progress. It needs to be. Isoglucose, a sugar syrup derived from maize, could compete with beet sugar in some market segments. Breeding’s contribution however, extends beyond improving yields. Resistance and tolerance to pests and disease are needed to ensure yield
stability as is resilience to heat and drought stress. A significant advancement in disease control in the 1980s was the introduction of rhizomania-resistant varieties. These enabled those in infested areas to continue producing beet. Today, rhizomania is found in nearly all sugar beet growing areas around the world. The introduction of beet cyst nematode-tolerant varieties in the mid- 2000s has further protected yields and enabled growers to keep beet in the rotation where it would have otherwise had to be dropped. The BBRO estimates that BCN infestations can reduce yields by 30 to 60% depending on severity. With at least 10% of the beet growing area in the UK infested, this represents a potentially significant threat to performance. “Breeding has provided a penalty-free solution. New varieties from KWS, such as DAPHNA and CANTONA KWS, combine BCN tolerance with outstanding yield potential and other valued management attributes such as good leaf health,” says Ben Bishop.
As one threat is overcome another emerges, but investment in breeding represents the best means of protecting future performance. “At KWS we have a long history of developing solutions to the problems of the day. We are committed to furthering our understanding of yield physiology and the mechanisms that enable us to maintain the yield improvements of recent decades to deliver our target sugar yield of 20t/ha by 2020,” concludes Ben Bishop.
Breeding Value: Increasing Yield¹ £
50 60 70 80
40 1995 Root yield 2 2015 Sugar content 3 1,000t ø 137 ha -39%
Agronomic practices & climate
+235 +4.7 t/ha 7.3 t/ha +64% 12.0 t/ha Last 20 years 2 Sources: 1 Average EU values applied. 2 Bartens, 1995-2015. 3 Burba & Jansen, 2000. 4 Breeding goal New varieties in official trail system in Germany. Made by KWS SAAT SE =
kg/ha/yr 2016
20 t/ha4 2020: Last 20 years 2
KWS goal 2020
ø 83 ha Healthy beet 72 t/ha +
8% 1856
+
16% 1970
18–20% today
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