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2013 Crop Year Review

1/3/2014

Reports from All North American Beet Regions

Photo: Don Lilleboe / Michigan Sugar Co. Croswell Factory

Amalgamated Sugar Company
Early harvest results of the 2013 crop pointed to a large crop. These results were somewhat surprising due to the difficult 2013 springtime weather. There were 82,512 acres replanted — 44% of the planted acres. A 3% voluntary overplant was allowed in 2013, but not all of the allowed overplant was planted. There were 186,321 acres contracted with 186,176 acres planted. There were 712 acres lost due to environmental conditions and lack of water in some areas where storage water was short.

Temperatures during the growing season were conducive for good yields. With that comes higher mineralization in the soil, resulting in lower sugar contents. Early harvest sugar content was 14.21% in Mini-Cassia and 15.00% in the Twin Falls district, both of which were below average for early harvest.

The 2013 Amalgamated crop set another yield record of 36.3 tons per acre. However, the sugar content was a disappointing 15.87 %. Harvest was ideal, and the beets were put into the piles in good condition. — John Schorr

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Suppressing NematodesIn Michigan Sugarbeets

1/2/2014

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Above: Fairgrove, Mich., grower Mark Sylvester planted this 2013 oilseed radish trap crop on July 25 following the field’s pickle harvest, with this photo taken September 21. The field goes into sugarbeets in 2014.

Tolerant Varieties, Oilseed Radish Cover Crop & Extended Rotation Comprise Sylvester Plan
Sugarbeet cyst nematode (SBCN) has been around the Michigan and Ontario growing region for a long time. It was first discovered in Ontario in the 1930s, and initial reports in Michigan beets date back to the latter 1940s. As of the mid-2000s, a random field survey conducted by Michigan State University (MSU) and Michigan Sugar Company (MSC) personnel found detectable levels of SBCN in 22% of Michigan’s sugarbeet fields. A 2012 MSC survey found it in 24% of fields sampled.

“Research has shown that heavy infestations can reduce yields by as much as 15 tons per acre and 2.2% in sucrose,” notes Steve Poindexter, MSU extension sugarbeet specialist.

“Moderate nematode pressure has shown an average loss of 3.3 tons per acre and over 0.5% in sucrose.” Low SBCN populations can affect yield even though there may not be any visual symptoms of infestation, he adds.

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New Appearances of Dry Rot Canker In Nebraska

1/1/2014

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Figure 1 — Symptoms of dry rot canker: localized, dry sunken lesions scattered over the root surface.

Introduction & Background
In mid-September 2011, a field near Bridgeport, in Morrill County, Neb., was observed with numerous plants (10- 15%) exhibiting wilting and yellowing symptoms suggestive of Rhizoctonia root rot. However, root symptoms were characterized by localized, dry sunken lesions scattered over the root surface (Figure 1). The surface tissues of the cankers also produced a distinctive series of concentric circles (Figure 2), like a target board. These root symptoms are inconsistent with the well-known Rhizoctonia root and crown rot disease (RRCR), but are suggestive of the rarely occurring dry rot canker disease, also previously assumed to be caused by the soilborne pathogen Rhizoctonia.

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Sugarbeet Feature Stories

2013 Crop Year Review

Reports from All North American Beet Regions

Suppressing NematodesIn Michigan Sugarbeets

New Appearances of Dry Rot Canker In Nebraska

Mike Spieker

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