Is autumn-sown sugar beet a viable option?

摘要

Autumn-sown sugar beet crops could be included in UK rotations in the future, but only through the development of bolting-resistant varieties using genetic engineering. Arecent British Sugar and Farmers Weekly study tour to Spain visited autumn-sown beet situated in the south of the country, and despite the milder climate being less conducive to bolting, it begs the question: could it work in the UK? Spain currently grows in excess of30,000ha of sugar beet, of which about 7,600ha is established in the autumn in the southern region of Andalucia. "One of the advantages of winter beet in the south is the lower water necessity compared with spring beet, due to the use of winter rains," says Rodrigo Morillo-Velarde, director at AIMCRA. "Drilling in the autumn period also ensures that the maximum solar radiation coincides with maximum leaf area index, so the crop has its highest production potential.