Crop Rotational Effects on Yield Formation in Current Sugar Beet Production – Results From a Farm Survey and Field Trials

Abstract

In Europe, the framework for sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) production was subject to considerable changes and for the future it is expected that sugar beet cultivation might concentrate around the sugar factories for economic reasons. Based on data from a national sugar beet farmers’ survey and multi-year crop rotation trials, the effects of cropping interval (number of years in between two subsequent sugar beet crops) and of preceding crops on sugar yield were elucidated under current Central European management conditions. The dominating sugar beet cropping interval was ≥4 years in the farm survey with pronounced differences between regions. However, the cropping intervals 2, 3, and ≥4 years did not affect the sugar yield. Therefore, significant differences in sugar yield between regions were assumed to be caused by multiple interactions between year, site, and farmers’ skills. Throughout Germany, the dominating preceding crops in sugar beet cultivation were winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). In the field trials, the sugar yield was 5% higher after pea (Pisum sativum L.) compared to maize (Zea mays L.) as preceding crop, while differences between the preceding crops pea and winter wheat, and wheat and maize were not significant. Repeated measurements of canopy development and leaf color during the growing season revealed a higher N-availability after pea as preceding crop. However, decreased growth after maize was not completely compensated for by high N-fertilizer doses. Overall, the causes for the differences in sugar yield between the preceding crops remained open. The results do not support concerns about substantial yield losses in sugar beet production due to a reduction in the cropping interval from 3 to 2 years. Nevertheless, short rotations with maize and sugar beet might increase the risk of Rhizoctonia solani crown and root rot infestation. Leguminous crops such as pea offer the potential for higher sugar beet yield with lower N-fertilizer doses.

Effect of Herbicides on the Management of the Invasive Weed Solanum rostratum Dunal (Solanaceae)

“…In comparison to a continuous cotton or wheat-cotton sequence, growing cotton in rotation with vetch ( Vicia sativa L.), led to a 20% increase in lint yield, even in the absence of N fertilizer [ 19 ]. In sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris L.), yield was 5% higher after introduction of pea ( Pisum sativum L.), as compared to maize, as a sequence crop [ 20 ]. Crop rotation may also be used to reduce weed infestation.…”

Using Machine Learning to Assess Yield Impacts of Crop Rotation: Combining Satellite and Statistical Data for Ukraine

“…Proper rotational management can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Behnke et al 2018) and capture soil carbon. A second mechanism is to enhance plants' ability to access nutrients or water through differences in root structure to improve capillarity and aeration of the soil, thus also reducing susceptibility to disease (Koch et al 2018). The underlying dynamics of bacterial, fungal or insect populations and their interaction with climatic conditions can be captured in biological models (Regis Mauri 2019).…”

“…To overcome these limitations, efforts to exploit alternative data sources proceeded in two directions. One way to improve data availability builds on collaboration with the private sector to develop samples, e.g., from suppliers of agro-processing plants (Koch et al 2018), or on use of field-level records from crop insurance (Seifert et al 2017). By highlighting spatial heterogeneity in effect size and a significant role of crop varietal traits, climate (temperature and soil moisture) and management (treatment of crop residue, tillage options, and planting dates), such studies suggest that real-world data can add significant insights to what is available from agronomic trials.…”

Weather-Based Predictive Modeling of Cercospora beticola Infection Events in Sugar Beet in Belgium

“…The major production areas are in northern France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Poland, where the climate is more suitable [ 21 ]. In these countries, sugar beet is commonly cultivated as a spring crop, in rotation with other crops, generally winter wheat or winter barley, and at varying cropping intervals, e.g., 2 to 3 years or more, depending on the country [ 10 , 22 ]. With the end of the EU’s sugar quota system, effective since the end of the 2016/2017 marketing year, there are opportunities for EU sugar beet growers to maximize production to satisfy potential markets both within the EU and elsewhere [ 23 , 24 ].…”