A new fodder beet variety resistant to rhizomania is now available to growers.

Ribondo by Limagrain UK is a high dry matter type of fodder beet with a DM content of 19-23%. Its large upright leaves allow for ease of harvesting which, with 65-70% of the root in the ground, can be carried out by a sugar beet harvester or leaf lifting equipment.

Ribondo is already grown commercially in Belgium and Holland, where rhizomania resistance is an important attribute.

Rhizomania is a soil-borne fungus which causes significant reductions in root DM yields of beet crops, and has been a major disease for sugar beet growers. At present the disease is predominantly found in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, however it can also be found in other parts of East Anglia, Lincolnshire and the West Midlands.