Crop Production

Since the mid 1990s, the average concentration of amino-N in beet delivered to British Sugar factories has decreased progressively from around 160 to 70mg/100g/sugar at a rate of approximately 8 units per year. 

A crucial part of the year for birds is winter, when resources are low, and survival difficult. Inclusion of a spring-sown crop such as sugar beet, predominantly preceded by cereals, can play an important role in supporting some farmland bird populations.

This evaluation tested seven drills at two speeds and on two soil types. Drill performance was measured by uniformity of seed spacing. There was variability in the way drills were worked and the accuracy of operation.

The project used beet and soil sampled by British Sugar staff from individual fields prior to the 2005-06 processing campaign to validate the use of factory tarehouse estimates of potassium concentrations in beet tissue-water to characterise the K status of the soil.

To design, develop and provide a commercial alternative system that allows sugar beet clamps to be covered for protection against frost and uncovered after a frost period, without the need to work at height.

The last experiments on the effects of plant population density on the performance of UK sugar-beet crops on which much of our current advice is based were done over 30 years ago (Hull & Jaggard 1971) and last reassessed nearly 20 years ago (Jaggard 1990). 

The crown tares of delivered beet have large financial implications for both grower and processor. 

The EU proposes that a significant proportion of transport fuel shall come from renewable resources.

This project examined the efficacy of synchronised application of a nematicide granule compared to a continuous band application at drilling for the control of nematodes, the soil pest complex and virus yellows, and whether this application technique presented any crop phyto-toxicity effects.

This project examined bird use of sugar beet crops in summer and autumn. Foraging and breeding behaviour, along with data on plant food and vegetation composition, were recorded on a total of 15 sites, eight in 2003 and twelve in 2004.