Due to the increase of the organic cultivation of beetroot and its growing importance as a functional food, the potential advantages of open-pollinated genotypes as an alternative for F1 hybrid genotypes has been investigated. In this regard, six field experiments were carried out in 2017 and 2018 in three different locations to investigate the agronomic potential of new and existing open-pollinated genotypes of beetroot and their performance under the specific conditions of organic agriculture. Fifteen beetroot genotypes, including one F1 hybrid as a commercial control and one breeding line, were compared regarding their total and marketable yield, individual beet weight, diameter of beet, and leaves-growth-base width. Furthermore, five randomly selected beetroots meeting common marketable criteria were evaluated optically with regard to skin smoothness, corky surface, root tail, scab incidence, and uniformity. Results of this study indicated a significant impact of genotype on eight of the assessed traits. The cylindrical-shaped genotype, Carillon RZ, demonstrated significantly higher total and marketable yields, with 53.28 ± 3.34 t ha−1 and 44.96 ± 3.50 t ha−1, respectively, compared to the yellow-colored genotype, Burpees Golden, which obtained the lowest total yield, 36.06 ± 3.38 t ha−1, and marketable yield, 27.92 ± 3.55 t ha−1. Moreover, the comparison of the open-pollinated genotypes with the F1 hybrid, Monty RZ F1, revealed that except for the traits yield, scab, and uniformity, the open-pollinated genotypes indicated desirable competitive outcomes and thus offer suitable alternatives for organic cropping systems. Overall, the observed genetic variability can be beneficial for breeding and food product development.

The growing interest of consumers in healthy organic products has increased the attention to the organic production of beetroot. In this regard, six field experiments were conducted in 2017 and 2018 in three different locations under the specific conditions of organic agriculture, and fifteen beetroot genotypes, including one F1 hybrid as a commercial control and one breeding line, were compared regarding the content of the total dry matter, total soluble sugar, nitrate, betalain, and total phenolic compounds in order to investigate the genetic potential of new and existing open-pollinated genotypes of beetroot regarding the content of their bioactive compounds. The results of this study indicated a significant impact of genotype (p < 0.05) on all measured compounds. Furthermore, results revealed a significant influence of the interactions of location × year (p < 0.05) on the beetroot composition, and, thus, the role of environmental conditions for the formation of tested compounds. The total dry matter content (TDMC) of beetroots varied between 14.12% and 17.50%. The genotype ‘Nochowski’, which possessed the highest total soluble sugar content with 14.67 °Bx (Brix), was among the genotypes with the lowest nitrate content. On the contrary, the cylindrical-shaped genotype ‘Carillon RZ’ (Rijk Zwaan), indicated the lowest sugar content and the highest nitrate concentration. The amount of total phenolic compounds ranged between 352.46 ± 28.24 mg GAE 100 g−1 DW (milligrams of gallic acid equivalents per 100 g of dry weight) and 489.06 ± 28.24 mg GAE 100 g−1 DW for the red-colored genotypes which is correlated with the high antioxidant capacity of the investigated genotypes. Due to the specifics of the required content of bioactive compounds for various products, the selection of suitable genotypes should be aligned with the intended final utilization.

In order to exploit the functional properties of fresh beetroot all year round, maintaining the health-benefiting compounds is the key factor. Thirty-six beetroot genotypes were evaluated regarding their content of total dry matter, total phenolic compounds, betalain, nitrate, and total soluble sugars directly after harvest and after cold storage periods of one and four months. Samples were collected from two field experiments, which were conducted under organic conditions in Southwestern Germany in 2017 and 2018. The outcome of this study revealed a significant influence of genotype (p < 0.05) on all measured compounds. Furthermore, significant impacts were shown for storage period on total dry matter content, nitrate, and total phenolic compounds. The medians of nitrate content based on the genotypes studied within the experiment ranged between 4179 ± 1267–20,489 ± 2988 mg kg−1 DW (dry weight), and that for the total phenolic compounds varied between 201.45 ± 13.13 mg GAE 100 g−1 DW and 612.39 ± 40.58 mg GAE 100 g−1 DW (milligrams of gallic acid equivalents per 100 g of dry weight). According to the significant influence of the interactions of storage period and genotype on total soluble sugars and betalain, the decrease or increase in the content of the assessed compounds during the cold storage noted to be genotype-specific. Therefore, to benefit beetroots with retained quality for an extended time after harvest, selection of the suitable genotype based on the intended final use is recommended.