Know How / Sugar Beet / Establishment

Sugar beet is seeing a resurgence, however, sugar markets remain tough. Our sugar beet page aims to help you grow a more profitable crop in the face of rising inputs.
This is your starting point for addressing challenges such as the rising pest and disease threat, keeping weeds in check, exploring precision farming and protecting the environment.

Key areas of focus:

• Getting establishment right
• Planning fungicide strategy
• Assessing fertiliser requirements
• Keeping on top of blackgrass

Case studies

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SUGAR BEET

Video: Sugar beet growers set for April rush to get crop drilled

Sugar beet growers are set to have a busy Easter as better forecast weather will see them trying to catch up on beet drilling, with only 5% of the national…

SUGAR BEET

Video: Sugar beet drilling success with near-perfect weather

Sugar beet drilling is racing to a close in the current dry weather with higher beet prices and the availability of a key virus yellows seed treatment prompting more optimism…

SUGAR BEET

Strip-tilling sugar beet - two growers' experiences

Lower establishment costs, retaining soil moisture and reduced impact on soil health are all reasons to consider a strip-till cultivation system for establishing sugar beet. The system produces a narrow,…

SUGAR BEET

Sugar beet drilling racing ahead in near-perfect conditions

Sugar beet drilling is racing ahead in south Lincolnshire in dry spring weather with two-thirds of the national crop expected to be in the ground by the Easter weekend. First-time…

SUGAR BEET

Strip-till slashes establishment costs for sugar beet grower

George Sly is slashing the cost of growing sugar beet by using a strip-till cultivator he designed himself, which is also improving his heavy Lincolnshire silty soils. His machine can…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Farm manager's drought action plan results in 15% yield lift

Simon Eddell has spent the past seven years looking to improve his light Suffolk soils to cope with summer droughts, and the result is healthier crops and wheat yields up…

Practical advice

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SUGAR BEET

3 factors growers can influence to maximise sugar beet yields

After five years of monitoring more than 150 fields, the Beet Yield Challenge (BYC) has identified three important factors which growers can target to narrow the 10-25% gap between actual…

ARABLE

How smarter variety choices will push sugar beet performance

Sugar beet growers should start to be more tactical with their variety choices as they look for ways to boost crop performance and maximise yields. Work started by the British…

SUGAR BEET

Tips on establishing high-yielding sugar beet crops

Growers aiming for the highest beet yields should get drilling in early March, providing that soil conditions are suitable and no cold weather is forecast. That means swinging into action…

SUGAR BEET

Advice on using starter fertiliser to lift sugar beet yields

Using starter fertiliser at drilling in sugar beet can improve crop establishment and early growth. However, the challenge is converting this head start into extra yield in every situation, say…

Strip-till establishment could cut cost of growing beet

Establishing sugar beet by strip tillage can reduce establishment costs by one-third while also lowering the weed burden and improving soil health, according to industry experts. In a review of…

Insights

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ARABLE

What the 5 new sugar beet varieties offer

Five newly recommended sugar beet varieties offer growers up to 7.6% extra yield, as well as a step up in yield for a specialist variety for fields infested with rhizomania.…

ARABLE

Building a case for no-till crop establishment

Whether at grower meetings, hashtagged on your Twitter feed or even featured on BBC’s Countryfile on a Sunday evening, “no-till” enthusiasts are certainly making a lot of noise. Global grain…