Sugar beet is a biennial plant that in its first growing year forms an elongated rootstock with dense white flesh and basal leaves forming a rosette. This rootstock is the main raw material for sugar production, as well as various by-products such as molasses, invert sugar, and dregs. Molasses is used in the production of alcohol, glycerin, citric acid, yeast, and organic acids; dregs serve as a valuable fertilizer; and dregs are used as nutritious feed for cattle. In addition, ethanol is obtained from sugar beet, which can serve as alternative fuel, replacing diesel fuel and gasoline.
Among the varieties of sugar beet, the Shevchenkovska hybrid is distinguished — a one-stem triploid MS hybrid bred by the Belotserkovskaya and Ivanovskaya experimental and selection stations. It is characterized by medium rootstock yield of about 533 centners per hectare, sweetness of 17.2%, and sugar yield of 91.7 centners per hectare. This variety is recommended for cultivation in forest-steppe and forest-steppe zones.
For successful sugar beet cultivation, proper agricultural techniques are important. Sowing is recommended in spring on drained, humus-rich soils rich in organic and mineral substances. Sowing depth is about 4 cm at a soil temperature of no lower than +6°C, with a sowing rate of about 110 thousand seeds per hectare and a distance between furrows of 50 cm. The plant has medium frost resistance and high disease resistance. It is important to control soil moisture: beet does not require abundant irrigation, but during prolonged drought, yield significantly decreases. Yield can reach 34.3 tons per hectare.
