Better weather promises beet yield boost amid season’s challenges

In the field

in Yorkshire, where harvest progress has been helped by a spell of dry days, Hutchinsons agronomist, Sam Hugill says although yields have been hit by the season’s challenges, in his area they are not down as much as some initially feared.

He says: “Yields are down 10-15 per cent. We had 10 weeks without a drop of rain [from April to June] and a lot of growers had to irrigate just to get the crop out of the ground. Plants struggled to meet between the rows and virus has had an impact. A lot of effort has gone into this season.”

Despite some growers delaying sugar beet drilling to allow the ‘first flush’ of virus transmitting aphids to pass, it has not translated to better yields, says Mr Hugill.

“Early sown beet had a majority of the virus and showed more yellowing but since the plant put on its 12-14 leaf, green growth started to appear again. Anything later sown does not have improved yields.”

Without the option of neonics, most growers turned to amino acids, micronutrients and biostimulants this season to try to optimise yield, says Mr Hugill.

However, in south Lincolnshire, for grower David Hoyles virus yellows has had a severe impact.

He says: “We are seeing a 70 per cent yield drop. Our five-year average yield is 92.2 tonnes/hectares at 17.4 per cent sugar. This harvest it is 28.8t/ha and sugars are 14.2 per cent.”

He says 80-90 per cent of the yield penalty is down to virus yellows, but the dry spring and late and uneven emergence has not helped.