Sugar-Beet response to foliar nutrition

Two foliar sprays with Multi-KMg resulted in significant increase in several yield parameters and in crop resistance to diseases

Table

Crop/cultivar

Sugar Beet/ Belotserkovskiy-45 (standard cv. in Ukraine)

Country / location Ukraine / Belaya Tserkov, near Kiev
Objectives Increase yield
Haifa product tested Multi-KMg
Application method Foliar nutrition
Tested treatment 2 x foliar sprays, each @ 18 kg/ha, combined with 1kg/ha of a micro-nutrient compound (Microsol-B). 1st spray- just before spaces between rows were covered by the foliage, 2nd spray – 3-4 weeks before harvest.
Control treatment results Total root yield: 28.5 MT/ha
Sugar content: 18.3% Sugar yield: 5.22 MT/ha
Yield of plant tops: 13.4 MT/ha
Bacterial infection rates (%): Cercospora: 91.7; Phoma: 2.5; Erysiphe: 75.8; Ramularia: 65.0; Bacterial blotch: 21.7
Viral (mosaic) infection rate 0.8%.
Grower’s revenue from root yield: 50.5 US$/MT
Best treatment results Total root yield: 33.6 MT/ha
Sugar content:18.6%            Sugar yield: 6.25 MT/ha
Yield of plant tops: 16.7 MT/ha
Bacterial infection rates (%): Cercospora: 82.0; Phoma: 1.7; Erysiphe: 63.3; Ramularia: 43.3; Bacterial blotch: 11.7
Viral (mosaic) infection rate 0.1%.
Grower’s revenue from root yield:  50.5 US$/MT
Characteristics of best treatment Net benefit of best treatment Increase in total root yield: 5.1 MT/ha (17.9% over control)
Increase in sugar content: 0.3% (1.6% over control)
Increase in sugar yield: 1.03 MT/ha (19.7% over control)
Increase in yield of plant tops: 3.3 MT/ha (24.6%    ---“--- )
Cost of treatment (application + material) 70.2 US$/ha
Net benefit of best treatment 257.55
Benefit/Cost ratio 3.67
Conclusions Significant increase in several yield parameters, and in crop resistance to diseases. Similar experiments should be performed in a variety of conditions in Ukrine. An important experimental control of spraying Microsol-B without the Multi-KMg is missing. Also, the extra benefit stemming from the enhanced top yield was not taken into consideration.
Reference Dr. A. Zarishnyak & Mr. N.V. Roik– Ukrainian Academy of  Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Sugarbeet