Replanting Guidelines for Sugar Beet Production in Southern Minnesota

摘要

Establishing an adequate plant population is one of the first challenges of sugar beet production. Reduced sugar beet emergence results in a decision between a lower than desired plant population or replanting the field. The objective of this study was to determine the plant population that warrants replanting a field to maximize extractable sugar ha1. The study was conducted in three environments during the 2016 and 2017 growing seasons. Two planting dates and six plant populations were utilized ineach environment. The two planting dates were separated by 19 or 20 days to simulate a replant situation. Sugar beets in each planting date were hand thinned to six populations of 44,000, 58,700, 73,400,88,100,102,800, and 117,400 plants ha1. Planting date and plant population did not significantly affect sugar concentration. However, planting date and plant population influenced yield and extractable sugar ha1. Extractable sugar yield was maximized with the first planting date and populations of 102,800 and 117,400 plants ha1. A population of 58,700 plants ha-1 in the first planting date had similar extractable sugar yield to the second planting date populations of 88,100, 102,800, and 117,400 plants ha"1. Sugar beet populations above 58,700 plants ha1 should not be replanted based on the results from this study.