Growing more resilient sugar beet in the face of extreme weather events
Sugar beet is notorious for its resilience. In the UK, it is predominantly grown in East Anglia, on sandy, loamy soils, where annual rainfall is relatively low (>700 mm). It has previously been considered to have a good ability to bounce back following extreme weather events and, for many years, the UK crop seemed to be able to withstand the increasing summer temperatures well. Now however, yield losses cannot be ruled out.
Summer 2022 was the fourth warmest on record and was the first year in which temperatures reached over 40 degrees in the UK, with 40.3 degrees recorded in Lincolnshire. On average in the UK there is a 10% yield loss as a result of drought. With an average yield of 80 t/ha, a 10% yield loss could represent as much as £320/ha in sugar beet. In dry years this can increase to up to 25% yield loss (Jaggard et al. 1998), creating a significant financial loss.
Farmers need to be able to mitigate against these increasingly common weather events and, as a result of trials, we are constantly learning more about how biostimulants can protect GLA during heat or drought stress events.
Several independent, replicated trials have been completed. Now in collaboration with the sugar beet industry, further on-farm tramline observations have been carried out to understand more about how biostimulants can help improve drought tolerance However, producing drought tolerant beet is an integrated approach combining variety, rooting, irrigation regime, soil health and more.
Trials on sugar beet with Status in 2022 were encouraging. In replicated small plot trials, there was an 11 t/ha difference between the control and sugar beet treated with Status at 0.25 L/ha in early June (BBCH 16) on an unirrigated crop. This result would have given a resulting yield benefit worth £440/ha.
Following the peak stress event that shortly followed, the older leaves were protected, with sugar content being maintained. Status continued to help the plant photosynthesise efficiently, despite the higher UV, drought and heat stress. By ‘mopping up’ damaging, oxygen free radicals in the plant, ATP production was able to continue, enabling the plant to grow.
Based on the success of 2022, further working is being carried out in 2023 with tramline observations examining timing and dose rate response. This has enabled us to gain some on-farm, commercial scale experience with Status on light land between Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket. British Sugar agronomists, field staff and account managers recently visited the tramlines and we discussed with them how biostimulants can help build crop resilience, drought tolerance and improve NUE in sugar beet to help it overcome current challenges. The data collected will generate yield, sugar % and amino-N data, which we will share in due course.
Status
Status contains a combination of Pidolic acid and the patented, award winning MTU®, which work in combination to protect the plant from abiotic stress and speed up recovery once the stress has abated. MTU® is a unique, patented molecule which increases the levels of photosynthetic pigments in Photosystem I and protects these pigments under abiotic stress. Pidolic acid increases nitrogen assimilation and prevents the build-up of toxic ammonium in stressed conditions.
18th September 2023
