Early foliar nutrition could be key to helping this year’s sugar beet crops establish following the winter washout, and help crops grow past the vulnerable 12-leaf stage.

Continuous rain has caused havoc for creating good seedbeds with slumped soils potentially delaying sugar beet emergence once growers get crops in the ground.

Even though emergency authorisation for neonicotinoid seed treatment use on sugar beet seed has been granted this season, early foliar nutrition could also be an important agronomic tool to protect crops from aphid-borne virus transmission.

See also: How foliar nutrition can kickstart crops and cut costs

Agronomist advice

ProCam agronomist Ian Jackson explains the importance of sugar beet achieving full ground cover as quickly as possible to intercept maximum sunlight and the role of foliar nutrition in helping achieve this.

“Sugar beet crops often start with a problem, as it is drilled into cooler soils, which are unable to supply sufficient nutrients in its seedling stage,” he says.

“Even after an autumn maintenance application of phosphate (P) and potash (K), spring applications of these macronutrients are still required to counter the soil’s inability to supply adequate levels.”

He notes soil-applied P can become locked onto the soil before and K should be applied ahead of drilling to avoid seedling scorch.

However, compaction from an extra set of wheelings can cause up to a 30% reduction in yield – so soil conditions must be considered.

To give sugar beet crops an early boost, a multi-nutrient foliar treatment, such as Pro⁺ NutriBio, with the first two herbicide sprays could be useful.

“This product provides a balanced range of macro and micronutrients complemented with brown seaweed extract,” he says.

Nutrition needs

He then recommends a polymer urea treatment, plus boron with the third herbicide spray, to supply a sustained release of nitrogen to help expand the leaves across the rows.

Boron is required during cell division and deficiencies result in heart rot in sugar beet. As the nutrient is readily leachable, including it in nutrition programmes is very pertinent this season.

Growers should also consider taking the opportunity to apply manganese as sugar beet is very sensitive to manganese deficiency.

“It’s a nutrient heavily involved in photosynthesis, so deficiency is a real issue in a crop that’s harvesting light to produce sugar.”

“In farm observations, this approach has significantly increased the speed of ground cover over the past three years,” says Ian.

Last year, sugar beet crops treated with the multi-nutrient spray grew well through the summer where temperatures peaked at 30C, while two growers using the programme completely ditched solid N.

“Other crops give good responses to foliar urea polymers, but sugar beet is in a different league,” says Ian.