Business plan for growing sugar beets. Growing beets in open ground

Evgeny Eroshenko

Sugar beet production is deservedly considered one of the most successful segments of the Belarusian agro-industrial complex, however, not all problems have been solved in it yet. On the eve of the new season, the “generals” of the Belarusian sugar production.

Positive statistics?

“A few years ago in Belarus it was the norm to get 3.5-4 tons of sugar per hectare,” recalled the director of the Republican Unitary Enterprise “Experimental Scientific Station for Sugar Beet” of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Iosif Tatur. — Now these figures could be considered a failure. Science confirms that the sugar beet yield of 500 kg/ha is far from the limit for Belarus. We say that 550-570 c/ha is realistic, especially since the best farms have already reached 700-750.

According to marketing research « Russian market sugar beet table, sugar and fodder in 2005-2012. and Forecast for 2013-2016, conducted by AMIKO, the yield of sugar beet in Russia in 2012 ranged from 495.5 c/ha in the North Caucasus Federal District to 245 c/ha in the Siberian Federal District. Belarusians look good against the background of their eastern neighbors. However, if we remember that Germany and Poland now receive 800-1,000 each, and the leading French producers - 1,200-1,400 c/ha, it becomes obvious that the reserve for increasing production is still very large. Meanwhile, in 2013, the area occupied by sugar beet in Belarus will amount to 98.4 thousand hectares, while sugar beet growers are tasked with obtaining a gross harvest of 5 million tons of root crops with an average yield of 508 centners per hectare in the republic.

“Yes, we must catch up,” Iosif Tatur agrees, “but we must also remember about the bioclimatic potential. Today, even the south of Poland, not to mention the south of France, far exceeds Belarus in terms of the length of the growing season, the sum of active temperatures. So climate resources are limited. Nevertheless, yes, there are reserves, and the main one is the improvement of cultivation technology.

Flaws of agricultural technology

In the Belarusian practice of sugar beet cultivation, the main problems are related to the timing of fertilization and the timing of the start of the harvesting campaign.

“There are questions about the balance of mineral nutrition,” the director of the RUE “Experimental Scientific Station for Sugar Beet” commented on the situation. - Do domestic complex and special granular fertilizers have insufficient capacity today? For fertilizers, we see a reserve of up to 10% of the crop.

There are also issues with timing. It is known that 80% of phosphorus and potassium for sugar beets must be applied in autumn for plowing. However, at this time, not all farms are in force. accounts payable and other reasons necessary funds. Therefore, the practice is widespread, according to which the application is postponed until the spring. In the spring, due to the peculiarities of the cultivation of the crop, plowing is prohibited and only loosening is carried out to the depth of seed placement (3-4 cm). Accordingly, the applied fertilizers fall only into the uppermost layer of the soil, where they are inaccessible to the beet root system.

Unfortunately, Belarusian science is not able to solve the problem of financial discipline in farms, but efforts are being made to solve the second key issue of domestic sugar production - harvesting in the optimal time frame.

“The disproportion of processing capacities and volumes of sugar beet production is, of course, our headache,” said Valentin Komandirov, head of the department for coordination and development of the sugar and confectionery industry of the Belgospischeprom concern. “If we could solve this problem, we could seriously move forward. What is being done to change the situation? A clear program for the development of the sugar industry for 2011-2015 has been developed, which provides for a sharp increase in processing capacity. If you look at the statistics for the last 5-6 years, you can see that we started with 23.8 thousand tons of sugar beet processing per day, and by 2015 we plan to reach 42 thousand tons. This is a serious leap. Already last season, we processed the 4.8 million tons received, albeit not within the optimal time frame (136 days instead of 110), but without excessive losses.

However, even the level of 42,000 tons is not enough to process beets in 100 days that perfectly correspond to the technological regulations. Recall that it is precisely because of the lack of processing capacities that Belarus has been practicing early harvesting since 2007: instead of September 20, harvesting begins in the first days of the month.

- The correct timing of harvesting, - said Iosif Tatur, - is also a huge reserve. Only in the first ten days of September, beets gain up to 10% of the mass and up to 1% of sugar content. In Belarus, at this time, they are forced to start cleaning. That is, in fact, a fifth of the crop is harvested with violations and, of course, has worst quality. Moreover, raw materials that are technologically unsuitable for processing are partially supplied: if the sugar content is below 14%, sugar is practically not extracted. Yes, we are asking the factories to extract sugar better, but how can they extract it if the raw product is supplied?

According to scientists, careful observance of agricultural technology can give an increase in yield at the level of 10-12%.

Seed rate

In 2012, in the structure of sugar beet crops in Belarus, 38% accounted for hybrids, allowing by the beginning of early digging to form a yield of root crops of at least 350 centners per hectare with an accumulation of sugar content of 14-16% (“nancy”, “klarina”, “alla”, Ventura, Mandarin, Modus, Bernie, Alice, Agnia, Typhoon). About 60% of all areas were sown with sugary-yielding hybrids (“impact”, “federica”, “grimm”, “avia”, “patria”, “molly”, “rovena”) and 2% - with high-yielding-sugary hybrids (“ portland”, “boruta”) directions, focused on long-term storage.

In the future, experts suggest using more widely early-ripening hybrids and varieties capable of reaching a sugar content of more than 15% by September 1. Also, the emphasis will be on seeds of accelerated germination, which germinate 3-4 days earlier than usual. This is important because one day of spring development equals five days of autumn development. For 2013, about 10% of the total amount of such seed material was purchased.

— When in 2011 we were at the sugar factory in Dobrzelin (Poland), — Iosif Tatur recalled, — on November 22, their sugar content was 18, and ours was 16.5%. The reason is not only the length of the growing season, but also the quality of the seeds used.

Right now in State Register varieties and tree and shrub species, 75 sugar beet hybrids are included, including two of Belarusian selection. In 2012, 70 of them were used in production. For the harvest of 2013, 1.5 thousand tons of the hybrid "polybel" of the Belarusian selection were delivered to the farms - a little more than 2% of the total required volume of seeds. According to Tatur, it is possible that the Nesvizh hybrid will appear in Belarusian fields in small volumes this year. Nevertheless, 97% of the areas allotted for beets will be sown with imported hybrids.

The introduction of domestic hybrids is complicated by the fact that Belarus does not have its own raw material zone for seed production, and there is no plant for the preparation (pelage) of seeds. At the same time, it is indicative that neither scientists nor manufacturers advocate a 100% transfer of sugar production to Belarusian seeds. First of all, domestic hybrids are needed in order to create an alternative to Western European ones and thus influence the quality of the seed material offered to our sugar beet growers.

“The cost of seeds is growing,” said Iosif Tatur. - Once they cost 50 euros, now 70-100 euros per ton, depending on the processing. At the same time, Western companies, on the one hand, dump on the Belarusian market, since, for example, seeds in Germany cost 170 euros and more. On the other hand, highly productive seeds are sold to “their” customers, while in other countries they offer a product of not such good quality.

Of course, due to variety trials, low-yielding and old hybrids are eliminated, but in a global sense, this is not the problem. If companies see that no efforts are being made to develop their own industry on the local market, then, logically, they have no incentive to improve the quality of the seeds supplied, because the product is already selling well. In addition, from year to year, seed prices depend on external factors, and our producers cannot always get the seeds they need. Creating your own hybrids will help reduce dependence on foreign suppliers. In total, six Belarusian hybrids have recently been submitted for variety testing.

For many years in the territory of the former USSR they were engaged in seed production of varieties, while Western countries were already developing hybrids as a more promising technology. The peripheral position of Belarus in the sugar beet industry also played a role in the lag. Soviet Union. Efforts are under way to catch up, but we must remember that even under ideal conditions, it takes at least six years to develop a single hybrid.

“The most important thing,” Iosif Tatur emphasized, “is that the fear has already passed: a school has been created, work is underway, a biotechnology laboratory has been launched. The results are encouraging, we just need to be patient.

Keep in place

Beet growers will have to seriously work on storage technology. Belarus is almost the only country on the continent where beets are stored on the territory of processing enterprises. At the same time, storage of crops on farms will improve the quality of the product: firstly, it is easier to save 1 thousand tons of crops than 15, and secondly, by reducing the number of overloads, the degree of injury to root crops will sharply decrease.

- As the European experience shows, there is no need to make a big "dump" at the plant, - Iosif Tatur shared his observations. - We got acquainted with the organization of the process in Germany. There is a “ten-thousander” factory with about 2,500 suppliers. Each of them keeps the beets at home. There is a clear schedule for when and at what time it needs to be brought. If he is late, he will deliver the crop last and at a completely different price.

Sweet statistics

According to the head of the department of crop production, fodder production and seed production of the Ministry Agriculture and Food Vladimir Dybal, in 2012 the gross harvest of sugar beet reached 4,773.8 thousand tons (106% of the previous year), including: in the Brest region - 1,024.6 thousand tons (114.4%) , Grodno - 1,925.6 thousand tons (110.2%), Minsk - 1,645.5 thousand tons (101.6%) and Mogilev - 178.1 thousand tons (95.2%).

The average yield of root crops in the country amounted to 485 centners per hectare, which is 31 centners higher than in 2011. The best results were demonstrated by the farms of the Brest (435 c/ha; +45 c/ha compared to 2011), Grodno (548 c/ha; +45 c/ha) and Minsk (476 c/ha; +16 c/ha) regions . Only in the Mogilev region, the yield was worse than in the previous season - 352 centners per hectare (-36 centners per hectare). Sugar mills produced 603 thousand tons of sugar from sugar beets, which is 75.9 thousand tons more than last year, and the collection of sugar per hectare reached 7.8 tons.

378 agricultural organizations were engaged in the cultivation of sugar beet in Belarus on an area of ​​98.3 thousand hectares. The average sowing area per farm was 260 ha (247 ha in 2011).

In 166 (44% of the total number) beet-growing organizations, the average yield of sugar beet exceeded 450 centners per hectare, including: New life» Nesvizh district - 847, SEC "Agrokombinat Snov" of the same district - 780, the collective farm named after. V.I. Kremko of the Grodno region - 838, SPK "Imeni Voronetsky" of the Berestovitsky region and SPK "Pogranichny" of the Grodno region - 837 c/ha each. At the same time, in 91 (24% of the total) farms, yields of less than 350 c/ha were obtained. Among them: SPK "Kolkhoz Zarya Kommuny" of the Glusk district - 160, UKSP "Experimental base "Glusk" - 184, UKSP "Sovkhoz" Zavolochy" - 188, OJSC "Glussky rayagropromtekhsnab" of the same district - 199 and OJSC "Suvorova-Agro" Kopyl district - 172 kg / ha.

In recent circumstances pointing to a shortage of food, many businessmen are already trying to find a niche for themselves in the field of agriculture. According to analysts and economists, this industry will develop successfully.

What is the success of growing sugar beet in large volumes? What is it for and how to make a profit after harvesting? These questions are easy to answer.

Firstly, sugar beet is an agricultural crop that has been cultivated in Russia since time immemorial. During all this time, the need to grow it even more has only increased. From sugar beets, molasses is obtained, which, in turn, is the basis for refined sugar. Everyone knows that the production of sugar from beets is much less labor-intensive than from cane. Sugar is a staple, especially for children. Its production is not reduced for one day, only increased in the last few decades.

Secondly, beets are an important fodder crop, a source of vitamins for cows, pigs, rabbits, and goats. It is wonderfully stored in bunkers in the winter.

The cultivation of sugar beet is beneficial, first of all, to farmers and people who do business in their own backyard, who have one or two cows, goats or rabbits. For a plantation, you need to choose a site where the soil is loamy and moist, but easy to work and without the presence of stagnant water. You can additionally purchase galvanized flower beds from the manufacturer. The plantation is cultivated in two steps: in the fall they plow, apply nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers, and in the spring, after secondary plowing, they make ridges with a row spacing of 50 cm and plant them with high-quality seeds. The first beet sprouts must be weeded by hand or mechanically, thin out and sprinkle with earth. Then you will need to repeat the weeding process one more time. Beetroot does not tolerate drought. Watering will need to be organized regularly if the summer is hot and windy.

Harvesting is not an easy undertaking. Root crops must be removed from the soil with forks or using special equipment, cleaned from the ground without damaging the skin, separated from the tops and placed in a special storage bin. This is if the beets go to feed livestock. If the business is to sell it and make a profit, then you will have to take the harvesting event very responsibly, because farmers who buy root crops are counting on a quality harvest. The wholesale price of sugar beet on the market is 10,000 rubles per ton. By selling a root crop machine, you can earn 30,000 rubles without deductions, and these are rough calculations. The price will only rise, at least not fall. A beet machine is approximately 5-6 acres of planted and cultivated land.

Growing beets for sale is profitable, but laborious. This business is for those who are not afraid of hard agricultural work.

Opening own business for the cultivation and sale of beets is not particularly difficult. This is because the product is not only loved by everyone and in great demand, but it is also not difficult to grow, it is unpretentious and brings a good harvest.

But even in growing such an unpretentious vegetable, there are some nuances and secrets that you need to know in order for the harvest to be rich.

A little about the beet itself

Beet root has a juicy and fleshy pulp. In some varieties, part of the root is not completely immersed in the ground, but remains on the surface.

In the first year of growth, beetroot forms a large rosette of basal leaves and forms the root crop itself. And in the second year, a stem grows from a leaf rosette, about 50 cm high, with small leaves. At the base of such leaves, flower rosettes are formed, which look like spikes. One compressed achene is the fruit of a beet.

Beetroot has a large amount of vitamins and useful microelements, so it is used not only during diets, but also for the treatment of various diseases, such as hypertension, nephrolithiasis, scurvy and others. Fresh juice squeezed from beets has special medicinal properties.

The main stages of cultivation

Growing beets in the open field includes several basic steps that help to get the maximum amount of yield:

• selection and preparation planting material, i.e. seeds;
• soil preparation;
• sowing and care of seedlings;
• root crop cultivation;
• pest control;
• harvesting and harvesting.

When choosing a place for sowing, it must be taken into account that beets love light areas with loose soil. In addition, for a good harvest, the distance between plantings plays an important role, it should be at least 10 cm.

Beetroot belongs to crops that poison the soil on their own, so planting it next year in the same place is not advisable, as the crop will be smaller. Growing a root crop is not very difficult, the main thing is to approach this process correctly.

The choice of varieties

There are a lot of varieties of table beet, which is used in cooking, the main thing is to make right choice. Experts recommend organizing planting of several types and different maturation periods. And the harvest takes place in two stages - early varieties are used for summer use, and medium and late varieties are chosen for storage and canning.

The most popular varieties are:

• Early variety - Libero, Incomparable A463 and Vinaigrette Marmalade;
• Medium grade - Negress, Smuglyanka and Larka;
• Late varieties - Cylinder and Ataman.

In addition, when choosing a variety, the purpose of each variety should be taken into account. Use fresh, canning or for long-term storage. In addition, for growing for sale, it is recommended to choose several forms and colors of the root crop. There is an opinion that a uniform color is more juicy.

Soil preparation for planting

The area for planting beets is prepared in the fall or 10 days before the seeds are planted. To do this, it is dug up and humus is added. Fertilizer is applied at the rate of 10 kg per 1 square meter.

For beets, loose soil is very important, which will not interfere with the growth of root crops.

If the soil is loamy, then in the spring sawdust or sand is added to it, they will give the soil the necessary friability. And the mandatory addition of mineral fertilizers, it can be superphosphate, wood ash or boric acid.

After the fertilizers are applied to the soil, they are thoroughly mixed with the soil, this can be done with a pitchfork and then the surface must be leveled with a rake. This completes the preparation of the soil and you can start sowing seeds.

Landing is carried out in moist soil, if the soil is dry, it must be shed, and only then sow beets.

Preparing seeds for sowing

Root seeds are a shriveled drupe of large size. It is the size that allows you to land at the required distance from each other.

Very often, the seeds from the store are already treated with special stimulants, this can be determined by the color they are either pink or green. Then such seeds are not processed, otherwise they can be harmed, planting is done dry immediately into the ground.

Seeds that are not processed are brown in color. Such seeds must be treated before sowing.

To do this, they are dipped in a glass of water for 2-3 hours. Floating seeds are removed, they sprout very late or do not sprout at all.

After the lock, the water is drained, and the seeds are wrapped in gauze and dipped in a germination stimulator solution - it can be Epin or Zircon, or another drug. In the solution, the seeds should be no more than 4 hours.

Seeds that have lain in the solution for the prescribed time are removed and harvested in warm weather for 24 hours. During this time, they begin to swell and peck.

After such preparation, the seeds are sown in open ground. The ground temperature must be at least 5 degrees.

Sowing seeds

For a rich harvest, it is necessary to determine the timing of planting, in each region they are different. The first shoots may appear at a ground temperature of 5-7 degrees, and germination begins amicably when it warms up to 12 degrees at a depth of about 8 cm.

The optimal time for sowing is mid-May. Sowing earlier is not recommended, since in cold soil the seeds begin to rot, and those that have sprouted often go into the seed arrow.

Furrows 2-3 cm deep are made on the prepared soil, for this you can use a rake or a board. Row spacing should be at least 15 cm for early varieties and 25 cm for late varieties.

The grooves must be carefully shed, the main thing is not to blur the edges of the groove. After that, the seeds lie on the bottom of the groove with a distance of at least 10 cm. The spread out seeds are covered with soil or rotted manure.

If sowing is carried out in large volumes, then a template for planting can be made.

Seedling Care

In order for the harvest to be rich, it is necessary to provide proper care for beets in the open field.

Despite the fact that beets are drought-resistant plants, they require regular watering. In dry weather, the seedlings are watered by sprinkling. For irrigation, settled and sun-warmed water is used. With such watering, the leaves take on a fresh look, and the root crop perceives top dressing better.

Since the culture loves loose soil, it must be loosened regularly. It is recommended to carry out this procedure after each watering or rain. Loosening is done no deeper than 4 cm, otherwise the root crop can be damaged.

To reduce the amount of watering and loosening, it is recommended to mulch the soil. For mulch, you can use sawdust or humus.

Weeding of the crop begins from the moment of germination and until the leaves close up, after closing the weeds no longer harm it.

If the seeds were planted frequently, thinning is carried out in phase 3 of true leaves. It is necessary to thin out the culture after rain and preferably in cloudy weather.

The use of private top dressings may not be necessary if the soil has been properly prepared. If the soil is poor, then for the first time 2 weeks after germination, they can be shed with infusion of mullein or bird droppings.

During the growing season, it is necessary to feed the beets 2 times with complex fertilizers, which contain potassium, boron and copper. Sometimes you can powder with wood ash, it will feed the plant and protect it from pests.

Protection from pests and diseases

If the beets are properly cared for, then they rarely get sick and are damaged by pests. But, nevertheless, it is recommended to regularly check the plant and identify the disease in time. The most common beet diseases include:

• Phomosis is a fungal disease that manifests itself on the leaves in the form of brown spots and dry rot in the root crop. For treatment, it is necessary to make boric acid;
• Downy mildew - affects the lower leaves and looks like a gray-purple bloom, in which case the plant is treated with special preparations. For prevention, the plant can be treated in the 3-leaf phase;
• Root beetle - occurs if the plant is planted in heavy and heavily waterlogged soils. The disease directly affects the seedlings, the root crop becomes thinner and the plant dies;
• Brown rot - affects root crops and is formed with increased moisture and a large amount of nitrogen. Rotten fruits must be removed immediately, and the area for beets is not recommended to be used in the future.

Subject to all requirements, you can not only get a rich harvest, but also save it until the next season.

Harvesting

Harvesting is done in dry and sunny weather. It is not recommended to prune the tops with a knife, and it is also impossible to injure the skins, otherwise the beets will not be stored for a long time.

The harvested crop is dried in a darkened place, preferably in a draft, after which the remnants of the earth and dried tops are removed.

Storage is carried out in warehouses or cellars intended for storing vegetables. It is advisable to cover the roots with a thin layer of sand, so it will be stored much longer.

Growing through seedlings

You can grow beets in open ground not only by direct sowing into the soil, but also through seedlings.

For growing beets through seedlings, early varieties are used. Sowing is done 3 weeks before planting in the ground. Prepared seeds are laid out in seedling boxes, then sprinkled with earth, watered and put the boxes in a greenhouse or greenhouse. The greenhouse or greenhouse should be regularly ventilated.

Seedling picking is carried out in the 3-leaf phase according to the same principle as thinning. Landing is carried out with a distance of 10 cm. If the sowing was organized in cups, then picking can not be carried out, but you can plant it in the ground immediately in glasses.

Landing in the ground is carried out in mid-May, in pre-prepared soil in the phase of 3-4 leaves. The main thing for seedlings is warming up the soil, the temperature should be at least 8 degrees.

The nuances of doing business

After all the information on how to grow beets has been received, you need to find out all the details of the business.

First you need to draw up a business plan that will reflect all costs.

In this case, the costs of renting land, purchasing seeds and necessary equipment, fertilizer and top dressing, rent of a warehouse and registration of entrepreneurial activity.

If the property has a personal plot, then such expenses as renting a warehouse and land are not included in the plan.

If the sale of the crop will be carried out independently, then documents can not be drawn up. But if you plan to open your own stall and wholesale to shops and supermarkets, then IP must be issued.

With the right approach, the first profit will appear after the first stage of the harvest.

It must be remembered that only smooth and not diseased root crops are for sale. With proper storage, the sale can be carried out throughout the winter season.

Growing beets for sale does not require special knowledge, and there are no difficult ways to care. Therefore, such a business opening is ideal for a beginner. And due to the constant demand for the root crop, the sale can be carried out throughout the year.

Correspondents of the magazine " Agrotechnics and technologies».

The main region of sugar beet cultivation in Russia is the Central Federal District. In second place in terms of production of the Southern Federal District. At the same time, as experts note, the phytosanitary situation in these regions differs dramatically. “In the south, the main problem is cercosporosis, and in the central part of Russia, root rot prevails, while cercosporosis is in second place in terms of severity,” explains Andrey Brailko, head of the group of technical experts on field crops of the company “ Syngenta". – Crop rotations of farms are oversaturated with beets, although the technology involves growing it on same place at least four years later. But not everyone adheres to this rule: sometimes the culture returns to the fields after three or even two years, and this contributes to the development of diseases.”

Don't break technology

It is the violation of cultivation technology, according to experts, that is the main reason for the deterioration of the phytosanitary situation in all beet-growing regions. “If five years ago in the south they got by with two or three treatments against leaf and stem infections, today the norm is four. And some farms carry out five or six treatments with fungicides, forgetting that chemistry is not a magic wand and cannot solve all issues,” Andrei Brailko regrets. The specialist draws attention to the widespread problem of neglecting the norms of agricultural technology: it all starts with the wrong choice of predecessor and improper tillage. Now the farms are trying to minimize tillage and try not to plow, reducing costs, which leads to natural consequences - an increase in the infectious background, deterioration of the soil structure and, as a result, the creation of unfavorable conditions for growing sugar beets.

As practice shows, even large holdings cannot always take a comprehensive approach to solving the problem of technology violations. “So, for example, fields for sugar beets, as a crop that requires a neutral reaction of the soil solution, must be deacidified (especially in the non-chernozem zone and in the north of the Chernozem region), explains Olga Minakova, head of the field. Laboratory of Agrochemistry and Agrotechnics of Cultivation in Crop Rotation Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “All-Russian Research Institute of Sugar Beet and Sugar named after A.I. A. L. Mazlumov, "since in an acidic soil environment, even the optimal amount of fertilizer cannot be assimilated, which leads to unproductive costs." But complex solutions imply capital investments, and in the declining sugar beet market, not everyone is ready to decide on this. In the conditions of a limited land bank, enterprises are forced to go somewhere in violation of technology, since the key task of an agricultural enterprise is to make a profit in a difficult market.

“Compliance with the cultivation technology, of course, is on the conscience of each specific enterprise,” says Igor Bruevich, General Director of “ KVS RUS» (production and sale of sugar beet seeds). — Of course, there are problems in other crop-growing industries as well. It's just that beets are one of the most difficult crops to grow, so technology errors are most acute here. Although, as a rule, if the cultivation technology is violated, it is violated in the entire crop rotation - after all, there are no farms that grow only sugar beets.” Since this crop is very demanding on the presence of moisture, certain tillage, agricultural background, and the plant protection system, naturally, there are more opportunities to make a mistake. However, the specialist notes that farmers are drawn to knowledge, perceive it and try to use it in their work. One of the indicators of this is the gradual increase in sugar yield per hectare in Russia. This happens both due to changes in genetics (the emergence of new hybrids) and due to the gradual improvement of technology, the ratio of the influence of these factors is approximately 50:50, Bruevich is convinced.

Modern approach to technology

Igor Bruevich, General Director of KVS RUS:

“When cultivating sugar beets, it is very important not only to obtain good sugar yields, but also to correctly extract the desired product from root crops. This process is influenced by several criteria: the sugar content of the hybrid, the content of potassium, sodium and α-amine nitrogen in the beet itself. There are hybrids that show a very high purity of the juice, so the loss of sugar in molasses (non-extractable sugar) will be less. Focusing on this indicator, you can choose the right hybrid - the higher the purity of the juice, the better the hybrid will show itself during processing. Let's say the plant says that 0.9% is lost in the technology, and 1.5% of sugar remains in the molasses. But in fact, 2.1% of sugar remains, and up to 1.3% is lost at the plant. It turns out that the farmer brings beets with a sugar content of 18% and hopes to get the same amount, but the output is only 14.6% - that is, impressive losses. There may be several reasons: during the growing process, a lot of nitrogen was introduced, therefore, the content of α-amine nitrogen in root crops is high; the timing of harvesting root crops was incorrectly chosen (NE - E type for early periods); root crops were damaged by frost or rot during the growing season or storage, etc. All this does not allow sugar to be extracted - there are large losses from molasses. And in Russia, only two or three plants own the technology for extracting sugar from molasses (desugaring). That is, the agricultural producer needs to understand from the very beginning what kind of hybrids he grows and what technology they need in order to minimize their losses and losses during processing. In order for the sugar yield per hectare to be maximum, it is necessary to clearly understand how much it is contained in root crops and in what form it is. If there is no such data, it is pointless to talk about changing technology.”

New genetics

Now geneticists are betting on the versatility of hybrids - there is less rigid separation in terms of early maturity, all hybrids perform well at almost any harvest time. “There are, of course, nuances,” notes Igor Bruevich. - For example, in order to evenly load the processing plant, you should have hybrids of different ripening periods, since the harvesting campaign may be delayed. They usually start harvesting with sugar-type hybrids. Another trend in genetics is the emergence of hybrids that are resistant to pathogens and root rot, continues Bruevich. The latest development is an innovative weed control system for sugar beet cultivation, which is beginning to be actively used in Europe. Hybrids are resistant to herbicides from the class of ALS-inhibitors and obtained by classical breeding methods. In general, most hybrids show good results both in terms of sugar yield and yield. Since the situation on the market is now difficult, customers pay attention primarily to efficiency: farmers are ready to give preference to expensive seeds that can provide the maximum sugar yield per hectare, the specialist explains.

“Breeding work is mainly aimed at improving the qualitative and quantitative indicators of the crop,” emphasizes Nikolay Filimonov, Product Portfolio Manager and technical support MariboHilleshog (selection, production and sale of seeds of sugar beet hybrids). – In addition, the pressure of phytopathogens is growing every year, so the breeders of our company are working to consolidate multi-resistance in new material. We are trying to find combinations that will allow plants to resist pathogens at the genetic level and at the same time save farmers from significant losses in terms of yield and sugar yield.”

In the Zarechye company (Krasnodar Territory; plant growing), all 500 hectares occupied by sugar beets are sown with imported seeds. “Now the world is very cruel, so you need to work efficiently,” Valery Kiyashchenko, director of Zarechye, explains his choice. - And foreign selection gives us efficiency. We started working with domestic sugar beet seeds in 2000. But then domestic seeds were not coated, it was problematic to arrange the arrangement, they had to be weeded out with a hoe. These technologies are, to put it mildly, outdated.” Today, the farm works with imported seeds, because they involve working at a different technological level. For example, starter microfertilizers are added to the dragee shell, the seeds themselves are refined at the manufacturing plant, due to which seedlings appear earlier. These are new developments that make it possible to achieve higher yields, the director of Zarechye is pleased.

“I see no reason to try the domestic selection, even if it is presented as good,” says Valery Kiyashchenko frankly. - Predictable results are important to us. And, paying € 150 for imported seeds, I am sure that I will get what I want. Therefore, I see no point in purchasing untested seeds for € 139.99.” According to the director of Zarechye, you need to enter the market in order to make money on it. So if a seed producer has quality, he must offer a good price for it in order to survive. “Probably, we would take a risk if domestic seeds were twice cheaper, but this is impossible: domestic selection will never be much cheaper than imported ones. And there is no point in risking for € 10, because it will take a whole year of precious time to correct mistakes. I do not want to say that I am a fan of imported selection - we just have no other choice. We need a result, albeit an expensive one, ”the specialist sums up.

According to experts, more than 95% of sugar beet producers in Russia work on seeds of foreign selection, and the level of confidence in domestic seeds is very low - foreign technologies are too far ahead of Russian ones. “The coated seeds of Russian sugar beet, unfortunately, are not competitive,” complains Salis Karakotov, CEO of Schelkovo Agrokhim. “They are inferior in terms of productivity. With a good sugar content of our hybrids, their yield, even on a good agricultural background, lags behind by 70-100 c/ha. This is about 15% less than the yield of European hybrids.” The reason was found out very quickly, the specialist says: Russian beets are semi-wild, they have all root crops of different sizes, and when combine harvesting is in progress, small root crops are lost, and large harvesters crush. As a result, large losses and crop shortages. That is, if you harvest such beets with your hands, there will be less losses and the yield will even out, but today manual harvesting is already a distant past.

In 2010, Schelkovo Agrohim began organizing the production of domestic sugar beet hybrids and the production of its coated seeds. In 2017, the company joined forces with the holding " Rusagro”, where selection work was also carried out to create hybrid seeds from domestic lines of sugar beets.

“We have created a selection group, joint venture“Soyuzsemsvekla,” continues Karakotov, “attracted competent specialists from Moscow, the Voronezh and Belgorod regions and joined forces for accelerated selection.” The group includes breeders, molecular geneticists, cell technologists and seed growers. Together with the Research Institute of Sugar Beet. A. L. Mazlumova companies " Schelkovo Agrokhim" and " Rusagro» a collection of genetic material was collected, which included all pure lines of Russian sugar beet hybrids, as well as some hybrid lines of foreign origin.

Components will be selected from the selected genetic material for further breeding work. “Our task is to get a super beet,” the CEO shares his plans. Schelkovo Agrokhim". And we will focus on strengths Russian hybrids. For example, on resistance to root rot during the growing season. Although the Russian breeding material is heterogeneous (different in size, not very aligned in terms of sugar), it has a special feature: over the long 80-100 years of breeding in Russian soil conditions, these genetic lines have developed certain types of resistance to Russian soil pathogens, pests and climatic conditions. Therefore, our hybrids have qualities that can be used in combination with foreign ones. The second strong quality of Russian beets is their high resistance to leaf-stem infections, such as cercosporosis. And the third characteristic, important for the future superbeet, is adaptability to a hot climate. The fact is that European hybrids are not able to withstand drought, Salis Karakotov notes. Namely, in the south, there is a mass death of beets from root rot. The combination of heat and rich soil causes beets to become stressed and rot. In addition, superbeet root crops will have to be leveled and standardized by caliber, the specialist concludes.

Betting on Russian?

In 2017, in the breeding group of the Soyuzsemsvekla enterprise, 18 new hybrids were created and sent for state variety testing and registration, some of which have purely Russian genetics, others are the result of a combination of Russian and foreign genetic lines. In 2018, it is planned to prepare about 20 more hybrids. “In the future, we will carry out work on marker-oriented selection,” Salis Karakotov shares his plans. “This is an innovative technique for Russian breeding aimed at searching for gene regions responsible for certain traits, which will allow selection to improve indicators (for example, sugar content) or to identify disease resistance genes.”

According to CEO « Schelkovo Agrokhim”, domestic breeding technologies are indeed very far behind foreign ones, and many methods that are actively used by foreign colleagues simply do not exist in Russia. To work on these technologies, qualified specialists are needed, whom Soyuzsemsvekla hopes to find in Russia or invite from abroad. The work that is currently being carried out at the enterprise is supervised by a foreign breeder consultant.

It is the lack of a scientific base that often causes farmers to distrust Russian hybrids. “Our domestic beet simply does not exist, it was killed a long time ago, and in the next 10 years I don’t see any revival and prospects for it,” Sergey Zarudko, a farmer, head of a peasant farm (Krasnodar Territory), is indignant. About trying" Rusagro» switch to Russian seeds, the farmer is skeptical. “The holding is trying to reduce the cost of its product in this way - to reduce the cost of sugar production,” he argues. It is clear why they went in this direction. But personally I do not believe in the success of such an enterprise. We have lost science, we have lost high-class specialists who could do this.”

According to Zarudko, taking risks by purchasing hybrids that have not been tested by time can be simply dangerous today. “If offers of seeds of domestic selection appear on the market, I will first of all look at the experience of other farms that have grown this beet for at least three years,” the farmer says, “I will go to a seminar, study the results of experiments on plots and in the field, I will definitely check that data on quality indicators be from independent laboratories, and not from the manufacturer itself. But in any case, the main thing is the experience of other enterprises, he sums up.

Many people think that sugar beets are grown only for industrial purposes to produce sugar, but in addition to sugar, this type of beet contains many nutrients and is often used as a healthy feed for livestock.

Digestion of sugar beet and its importance when choosing a variety

In this connection, the cultivation of this crop may be of interest to both farmers and those who are looking for profitable view business in the field of agriculture. After all, if the technology of cultivation of sugar beet is strictly observed, it is possible to get good yields from year to year and achieve maximum return on investment.

Cultivation of sugar beet is really not too different from the cultivation of ordinary table beet - for a successful result, it is also necessary to choose a site with suitable soil, sow the seeds in time, water and feed the plants, loosen the soil, destroy weeds and prevent disease infestation.

If you are interested in growing this variety of beets, follow the guidelines below and your efforts will surely be rewarded!

Video about growing sugar beets

The value of sugar beet depends not only on its taste properties and the quality of root crops. Big role when evaluating the harvest plays such important indicator, how sugar beet digestion or its sugar content. Digestion is determined in the laboratory using chemical analysis root pulp - the higher the indicator, the better the technological properties of beets, and the more sugar can be produced from it.

Sugar beet

In accordance with the indicators of yield and sugar content, sugar beet varieties are usually divided into three groups:

• varieties belonging to the yield group are characterized by a significant number of root crops with an average or low sugar content;
• the yield-sugar group is the most in demand, because the varieties included in it are distinguished by good yields and a fairly high sugar content in root crops;
• the sugary group includes varieties with a high sugar content, however, the yield of varieties is somewhat lower than in the first two groups.

The most common varieties of sugar beet in Russian fields are North Caucasian one-seeded, Ramonskaya one-seeded and Lgovsky MS 29, with high yields and sugar content per 1 centner of raw materials.

Suitable conditions for growing sugar beets

To obtain a large number of healthy, large root crops, it is necessary to initially select a site with soil that is best suited for sugar beets. Loamy or sandy loamy well-aerated soils with a neutral reaction are recommended, loose, moisture-intensive, high in nutrients. On too light, heavy and waterlogged soils, you will not be able to grow worthy root crops.

Precursors that are not suitable for sugar beet can be decisive. So, you can not grow beets after perennial legumes and cereal herbs, corn, rapeseed, flax, as well as after cereals, if herbicides based on metsulfuron methyl or chlorsulfuron were used during their cultivation.

It is ideal to adhere to such a crop rotation scheme: grow beets after winter cereals, before which the field was occupied by legumes or clover of the first year. Sugar beet can be returned to the same place after three years.

Beet cultivation

Technology of growing sugar beet - the main stages

When cultivating sugar beets, the soil requires autumn and spring soil preparation. In autumn, the land is fertilized with nitrogen, potash and phosphorus fertilizers, after which the field is plowed to a depth of 30 cm. In spring, cover harrowing is carried out with soil cultivation to a depth of 8 cm, and then the area intended for sowing is carefully leveled.

The right time to start sowing sugar beet seeds comes when the earth warms up to +6 degrees at a depth of 5 cm, and the air temperature is about +8 degrees. For sowing work, a fine spring day is chosen, avoiding a long break between pre-sowing tillage and direct sowing.

The process of growing sugar beets is as follows:

• seeds of the selected variety are sown to a depth of 2 cm to 5 cm (on heavy moist soils deeper than on light soils), 45 cm are left between rows;
• on the fifth day after sowing, pre-emergence harrowing is carried out in order to break the crust on the soil surface after rain, destroy weeds and increase moisture reserves in the ground;

Planting beets

• when the first sprouts appear, bouquet or thinning of sugar beet is carried out, leaving strong plants;

• sugar beet needs timely abundant watering - up to 25 m3 / 1 ha at the beginning of the growing season and up to 40 m3 / 1 ha during the intensive growth of tops, in July and August it is necessary to water the beets four times a month with a small amount of precipitation, and in September it is enough to water once before harvesting (from the second decade of September, no watering is carried out);
• along with irrigation, phosphorus-potassium supplements can be periodically applied, adding nitrogen if necessary - it is important not to overdo it with the latter, since beets tend to accumulate it in the form of nitrates;
• be sure to regularly carry out inter-row loosening and destroy weeds;
• against pests and diseases, preventive treatments of plants with biological products and insecticides are used.

Video about sugar beet

You can start harvesting sugar beets in mid-late September. When growing beets on an industrial scale, special harvesters are used for this purpose, but if the plot with sugar beets is not large, harvesting can be done manually by digging up the root crops with a pitchfork. It is very important not to damage the beets while digging, otherwise they will be unsuitable for storage and lose their value.

The dug out root crops are dried in the sun, cleared of the ground and either prepared for laying for long-term storage if it is intended for livestock feed, or they organize the marketing of the crop if sugar beets were grown for sale.