Sugar beet — a biennial root crop from the amaranth family, primarily cultivated for sugar production. The root has a firm white flesh and forms together with the basal leaves that form a rosette. Modern varieties contain 18-20% sugar, making them a valuable raw material for the sugar industry, as well as for the production of molasses, pulp, and animal feed. Sugar beet seeds differ in high yield, stable sugar content, and good adaptation to various climatic conditions.
The crop is heat-loving and heat-resistant; the optimal temperature for growth and development is 20-22°C, but photosynthesis proceeds effectively even at temperatures above 40°C. Seeds germinate in a wide temperature range from +4 to +17°C, while the time to emergence directly depends on the temperature — at lower values it can increase to 10-15 days. Sugar beet is very demanding on moisture, especially during the intensive growth of the root crop in July-August. Thanks to a well-developed root system capable of absorbing water from a depth of about 2.5 meters, the plant has good drought tolerance.
For successful sugar beet cultivation, winter sowing is recommended, which ensures high efficiency of processing. The plant can withstand frosts down to -5°C during the pre-harvest autumn period, but lower temperatures can negatively affect sugar accumulation in the roots. Sugar beet cultivation is carried out in open ground, where it demonstrates high productivity when optimal agronomic conditions are met.
