WEED BEET -- THE FUTURE

摘要

THE proportion of the sugar beet root crop infested with weed beet reached a peak of 35 per cent in 1984. British Sugar Crop Survey data show that it had declined to 20 per cent in 1993 and was 19 per cent in 1994. These figures suggest that, althoughthe problem has diminished it is enduring and unlikely ever to go away completely. We shall have to learn to live with it, which means we shall have to know how best to manage rotations and cultivations to keep it under control. Fortunately relevant long-term studies of the fate of weed beet seed in soil were started at Broom's Barn in 1979. It is the purpose of this article to consider some of the results from this work and how they affect management recommendations.