Application of Nutrivant Plus on sugar beet
Sugar beet is one of the most profitable crops and holds great economic importance for farms. According to some data, its profitability can reach 60% and even 90%, and never fall below 10%.
To ensure sugar producers receive cheap and high-quality raw material, domestic beet growers must achieve yields of at least 500-700 c/ha. Achieving such yield levels is possible only through the use of highly efficient resource- and energy-saving cultivation technologies. These include modern mineral nutrition technologies, including foliar feeding with the complex fertilizer Nutrivant Plus.
Foliar feeding of Nutrivant Plus on sugar beet provides:
• increased sugar beet root yield by 8-10 t/ha and sugar content by 0.5-1%;
• improved nutrient uptake by the plant's root system from fertilizers and soil;
• stimulation of biochemical processes and plant resistance to fungal and viral diseases;
• elimination of stress, especially during application of plant protection products;
• high return on investment for nutrients applied to the soil.
Sugar beet removes significant amounts of phosphorus and potassium, and is quite sensitive to deficiencies of magnesium, manganese, and boron. For example, at a yield of 40-60 tons per hectare, the following amounts are removed: 75-100 kg magnesium, 800-1000 g manganese, and 400-600 g boron. Critical periods for boron in sugar beet are leaf stages 4-6 and 8-10. Boron promotes sugar accumulation and prevents heart rot disease. By influencing calcium balance in the plant, boron also increases root resistance to root rot. Calcium is the main defense of beet against this disease. Critical periods for manganese are leaf stages 8-12.
During the formation of 4-6 leaves, secondary cambial rings form in the root crop, determining future productivity potential. The secondary cambium forms two types of cells — lignified large xylem cells, through which water and dissolved nutrients are transported from soil to leaves, and thin-walled phloem cells, through which sugar and other photosynthesis products move from leaves to roots. Between the conducting vessels are parenchyma cells — the site of sucrose storage. The number and thickness of these rings determine future yield. Deficiency of water or mineral nutrients delays the growth of cambial rings, leading to significant yield loss. It is practically impossible to change the potential of already formed cambial rings using agronomic methods, even under favorable conditions.
The application of foliar feeding with complex fertilizer Nutrivant Plus was proposed by American scientists X. Briaan and V. Elsworth (University of Idaho) as an alternative to soil application, by incorporating nutrients into the moist soil layer to sufficient depth. The application of foliar feeding Nutrivant Plus proved equal to deep local application, i.e., it increased yield and quality of sugar beet roots equally without reducing sugar content or increasing salt concentration that hinders sugar extraction. As a result, an additional 1000 kg of sugar per hectare was obtained.
Data from 2006-2007 on trials of Nutrivant Plus at the North Caucasus Research Institute of Sugar Beet and Sugar (Gulkevichi, Krasnodar Krai) are particularly interesting. The highest yield (568 c/ha vs. 483 c/ha in control) was achieved with double application at a dose of (3+3) kg/ha, applied 60 and 30 days before harvest. The second highest yield of 512 c/ha was achieved with triple application (2+2+2) kg/ha applied 60, 45, and 30 days before harvest. In the variant where Nutrivant Plus was applied twice (3+3) kg/ha at 45 and 20 days before harvest, the yield was also higher at 492 c/ha than in the control.
In Russian and Ukrainian conditions, trials of the fertilizer Nutrivant Plus were conducted in many sugar beet farms in various regions of the country since 2006. The result was always the same — foliar feeding with the fertilizer significantly increased yield and sugar content. Yield increases reached 204 c/ha, and sugar content increased to 3.7%. Average yield increase was 80 c/ha, and sugar content increased by 1.5%. This ultimately allowed an additional 1.2 tons of sugar per hectare on average. The application of Nutrivant Plus on sugar beet, as on other crops, has a clearly expressed biostimulating effect, preventing the development of many dangerous fungal diseases, including peronosporosis and cercosporosis. Many producers have believed in the effectiveness of the fertilizer and have already widely adopted its use without additional trials
LLC «Avers», Starominskoy District, have been applying NP for two years. They consistently achieve yield increases even under drought conditions, noting better plant survival until harvest. According to General Director I.A. Belina, where Nutrivant Plus was applied, root quality was excellent, and no rotten roots were found on the field, whereas on neighboring fields many roots rotted directly in the soil. Nutrivant Plus proves its worth.
OPX «Slava Kubani», Kuchevsky District, Krasnodar Krai. According to the Executive Director of the farm V.B. Bagmet, after treating sugar beet with Nutrivant, its crops looked very good, no diseases were observed, and triple application of Nutrivant Plus increased sugar content. Despite severe drought, the farm achieved an average yield of 430 c/ha of beet. Application of NP allowed an additional 68 c/ha of roots and increased sugar content by 1.4%.
Nutrivant Plus is compatible with other fertilizers and enhances their efficiency. For example, at OAO «Kuban» in Ust-Labinsky District, Nutrivant Plus at 6 kg/ha was applied together with boron fertilizer Solubor DF (17.5% B) — 1 kg/ha, combined with fungicide application. Root yield was 525 c/ha, which was 72 c/ha higher than in the control.
Today, scientists and practitioners recommend conducting at least three applications of sugar beet plantations with Nutrivant Plus. The first application is conducted during the period from the beginning of 4-leaf formation to the beginning of 6-leaf formation. Fertilizer application during this period can be combined with herbicide application, reducing their stress impact. The second application is recommended to be conducted starting from the 8-leaf stage and up to 50% row closure.
