Sugar beet: Variety choice, solutions and risks

The now ubiquitous Rz1 genetics, which give resistance to rhizomania, alongside BCN tolerance are traits that have been a familiar option. However, there are an ever-increasing number of traits now available.

For this reason, it is important to consider which traits are of most benefit to your farming operation. The 2026 Sugar Beet Recommended List provides a comprehensive guide to the traits available. 

If you are able to drill early then it is crucial that you select a variety that will not bolt if subjected to prolonged cold weather; these varieties are clearly marked with an ‘X’.  

At the other end of the season, if you are looking to harvest later then it is useful to pick varieties with high disease scores (higher the score the lower the incidence of disease). The RL has scores for rust, powdery mildew and cercospora so consider your past prevalence of these foliar diseases.

If you have concerns over cercospora it is also worth considering if the new tolerance trait (breeder’s claim) will be of use. Currently there is one variety available with this trait, but hopefully this will increase in number in the future. 

A trait we are now all more familiar with is virus tolerance. There is an increasing number of varieties with this trait, but it is important to remember that they differ in their tolerance to the different yellowing viruses.

These varieties yield slightly lower than the top performers so in low virus years, may not be that beneficial, however if virus levels are high they will outperform those with no tolerance.

SMART varieties are another trait consideration and are part the CONVISO system; these varieties are resistant to ALS herbicides and can be especially useful in situations where there is a weed beet problem. 

It is an exciting time for sugar beet varieties with the increasing number of traits available. Although some of these currently have some yield lag they will undoubtedly improve in performance as breeders work hard to deliver more varieties for the UK market. 

Monitoring and managing risk

Managing the challenges in-field is time consuming and often we are not aware of an issue developing until it has taken hold. 

That’s why BBRO has its CropWatch system, to provide growers with insight into developing threats. Currently, the system is monitoring the development of cercospora across the growing region.

This is two-fold, firstly detecting cercospora spores via BBRO’s Spornado network and then secondly, working with WeatherQuest to predict weather conditions that are conducive to disease establishment and spread.

Figure 1 shows the results of spore monitoring on the 14th July with the yellow dots indicating spores detected in the air and the purple dot indicating active cercospora found in crop. Add to this the weather risk forecast for the 18th July (see Figure 2) and you can see a case for growing concern.

The culmination of this info is currently used to issue a text alert to the growers at risk; this alert is a call to inspect crops to identify if they have disease symptoms. It is vitally important for growers to use fungicides only at the onset of disease – spray too early and you may miss the target altogether, spray too late and the disease may be hard to control.

With a limited number of actives available we also need to ensure we rotate use to avoid the development of resistance, this is of particular importance when it comes to cercospora which is known to be able to mutate.

Pest impact of hot, dry weather

We might enjoy the warm weather, but the added dry conditions have caused much concern for crop development.

Sugar beet is quite a resilient crop when it comes to managing drought, whilst we might see the canopy on the floor in the heat of the day, the crop is quick to recover by late afternoon or the following morning.

Unfortunately, another resilient feature found amongst the beet canopy is the beet moth which has been thriving in these dry hot conditions. 

Currently, the spread of this pest has been relatively small with the worst affected areas being in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire; however, its impact on the canopy can be devastating. The larvae feast on the petioles and burrow into the heart leaves making them a difficult target to control.

At present very little is known about this pest and, with limited options for control, we are working to understand how and when these are best deployed. 

We do know that heavy rain can reduce numbers and that ladybirds are natural predators, so if you are considering spraying take note of your beneficial numbers. BBRO has recently compiled a guide to this pest which is available on its website, and it also requests that any growers affected contact their British Sugar contract manager.

Reducing risks

Are there an increasing number of risks or are we just not managing the risks enough?

On-farm hygiene is not new to the industry, it is, however, often over-looked and as our climate changes it would appear we can no longer rely on a cold winter snap to help deal with pests and diseases.

As we enter into harvest, aim to minimise your harvester losses, not only will this pay dividends in yield but it will also reduce potential sources of regrowth. Revisit your fields regularly in order to eliminate groundkeepers.

Monitor your spoil heap, destroying any new growth which could harbour pests and diseases, similarly destroy any winter cover crops at least six weeks before drilling.

Without action we will continue to create a green bridge for pests and diseases to thrive, and whilst the seed breeders may be coming up with some of the solutions, there is much we as an industry can be doing to protect the sugar beet crop ourselves.

Read more arable news.