Crop protection is a key component for a successful and profitable sugar beet crop. Today, growers have a range of tools, technologies and elite varieties, to tackle and limit the ever increasing threats from pests, diseases and weeds. However, as climate change and environmental pressures build we have to look at new approaches to protecting the sugar beet crop.

Crop Stability is focused on delivering a clean, consistent and healthy crop which will maximize the yield potential from the genetics and growing environment.  We know the potential of the existing genetics and aim to close the current gap between actual and potential yield. The need to ensure we have alternative strategies for the loss of active ingredients and the impact of government legislation changes such as neonicotinoid loss are paramount to the success of the crop.

Project Lead:
Prof Mark Stevens

Agronomy Based KE Role:
Crop Protection, virus and disease

Crop Protection

Complete: Innovate UK: A novel pre-breeding strategy to reduce dependence on insecticides for virus yellows control in sugar beet

Virus yellows is a major economic disease affecting sugar beet; its impact is particularly significant in the UK due to our maritime climate, and will be exacer...

Complete: Combating resistance to aphicides in UK aphid pests

Supported by the Chemical Regulation Directorate (CRD), and a consortium of agrochemical companies and levy boards, this project provides research on aphicide...

Complete: Mitigating new threats from virus yellows: monitoring aphid populations and insecticide resistance to maintain control

To optimise and sustain the use of insecticides on beet by providing forecasts and up-to-date information on the timing and abundance of aphids, their virus con...

Complete: Maximising sugar yield via fungicides

Previous fungicide trials have shown that the application of a single fungicide can give yield benefits of up to 8 adjusted t/ha and, from a two-spray strategy,...

Complete: Control of late season foliar diseases

In recent years, a significant proportion of the growth of the beet crop has taken place during the late summer and autumn and it has therefore become increasingly important to maintain the crop in a healthy condition during this period. 

Complete: Insecticide resistance dynamics in aphid vectors of beet viruses

Sugar beet yellows is a disease caused by three viruses, Beet mild yellowing virus (BMYV), Beet chlorosis virus (BChV) and Beet yellows virus (BYV). BMYV and BChV are generally far more prevalent than BYV.

Complete: Effects of sodium and triazole fungicides on yield and quality on soils of different K index

Sugar beet take up and utilise large quantities of potassium (K) and sodium (Na) - uptakes of 300-400 kg K/ha and over 100 kg Na/ha are common. Potassium and sodium have similar effects on the growth and productivity of sugar beet and have been generally thought to be interchangeable when used as fertilisers.

Complete: Agronomic strategies and the economics of organic beet production

Arable cropping has been shown to be economically and technically viable under organic management (Cormack, 1999). However, in the late 1990s, despite strong growth, the market for organic arable crops was limited to cereals, pulses and potatoes. Sugar beet was then, and remains, a major part of the rotation of many Eastern counties arable farms.

BBRO is a not for profit company

We are set up jointly by British Sugar plc and NFU Sugar

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