Cultivation technology of sugar beet

Even in the XVIII century, scientists found that white beet contains as much sugar as sugar cane. Sugar beet is an important industrial crop that grows on large agricultural areas of Russia. The level of sugar in it depends on the region of growth and conditions of cultivation. In this culture is grown not only on an industrial scale, but also on the dacha plots.

Sugar beet is a type of common root beet. Her homeland is unknown, but scientists tend to believe that the history of culture began with a wild-growing annual plant growing in southern Europe and North Africa. At the end of the 18th century, people began to cultivate sugar beets, and they began to produce sugar from it at the beginning of the 19th century.

Manufacturers attach great importance to the main indicator of this root - digestion (sugar level), which is determined in laboratories. For this chemical analysis of beet pulp is carried out. In this way, make a conclusion about its technological properties. The higher this figure, the more sugar can be obtained in the processing of root crops.

Breeders have long been working on the breeding of new varieties with an increased amount of sugar. Over the entire period of work (from the beginning of the XIX century to the present), the sugar content in culture has increased several times.

The chemical composition of the pulp of root vegetables depends on many factors:

• a particular variety;
• climatic conditions and cultivation region;
• weather conditions of growth;
• level of implementation of agrotechnical works.

The root crop is 75% water and 17.5% sugar. The remaining substances are 7.5%. Dry beet has about 70-75% sugar. Squeezed root juice has 17.5% sugar and 2.5% non-sugars.

The pulp remaining after receiving the juice consists of:

• 48% of pectic substances,
• by 22% of hemicellulose,
• 24% of fiber
• 2% of saponin.

Beetroot is a very useful product. It contains vitamins PP, C, all B vitamins and a large amount of minerals. The energy value (based on 100 g of the edible part of the root crop) is 45 Kcal. 100 g of pulp contains 1.5 g of proteins, 9.1 g of carbohydrates, 0.1 g of fats.

Also, beets have many medicinal properties, so it is used:

• to enhance immunity;
• to improve the cardiovascular system and hemoglobin production;
• for the normalization of the gastrointestinal tract and the exchanged processes in the body;
• for the normalization of pressure, treatment of atherosclerosis, anemia, leukemia;
• to improve the mental state of a person;
• for the treatment of gynecological diseases.

Sugar beets are highly productive - 500 kilograms of root crops can be harvested from one weave. Productivity depends on the climate and conditions created by man. A root crop needs a lot of sunshine, timely moisture and warm weather. Beet growing is practiced in Russia, Belarus, Georgia and Ukraine. Beetroot is also popular in North America, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. The best zone in Russia for the growth of sugar beet is the Black Soil Region.

The fruit of sugar beet looks like a big and tough tuber with white flesh and skin. Depending on the variety, the tubers differ in their sugar content, size, shape and weight. Russian breeders were the first in the world to produce varieties and hybrids with single-seeded fruits. The most common sugary varieties with high yields are three types.

• Variety "North Caucasus" - single-seeded, having high technological properties. Its average yield is 500 kg / ha, sugar content is 17%, seed germination is 90%. The variety has resistance to the defeat of chalcosporosis.
• Grade "Ramonskaya" - single-seeded, it is distinguished by increased germination of seeds (within 80-90%). Sugar root - about 18%. The variety has good disease resistance.The average yield - 570 c / ha.
• Variety "Lgovskaya" - single-seeded, has a germination rate of up to 82%. The level of disease is average. The average yield is 490 c / ha, sugar content - 18.3%.

For high yield, it is desirable to choose a suitable soil. Soddy-podzolic, loamy and sandy soils are suitable for sugar beet. Very heavy (clay) and very light (sandy) soil does not allow to grow a rich harvest. The soil is prepared in the fall, so after harvesting the previous crop, the land is plowed to a depth of 30 cm with applied nitrogen, potash and phosphate fertilizers.

With the arrival of spring, the cultivator is harrowing the top layer of soil (to a depth of 8 mm). All spring works are carried out taking into account weather conditions. A large period of time between the preparation of the ground and the sowing is not allowed, as it is necessary to preserve the friability and moisture of the soil.

Beets are planted after predecessors such as legumes, clover, tomatoes, cereals, potatoes and corn. Root crops are planted when the soil warms to 7 ° C. Rows for planting should be located at a distance of not less than 40 cm, seeds are planted to a depth of 2 to 5 cm. On light soils, seeds are embedded in the ground more deeply, and on heavy soils closer to the surface of the earth. After 5 days, pre-emergence harrowing is carried out to kill weeds and loosen the soil.

Scientists have determined the biological phases of growth and development of sugar beet in the first year of life:

• seed germination process;
• the formation of "fork" or the release of cotyledons as leaves;
• the appearance of the first pair of leaves;
• formation of the second and third pair of leaves;
• the formation of the seventh sheet;
• closure of leaves in rows;
• closure of leaves in between rows;
• technical ripeness of the root.

In industrial production, the planning of the entire process of agronomic sugar beet is carried out in strict accordance with the biological characteristics of the culture.

Before planting it is necessary to prepare planting material. To this end, the seeds for a day put in a nutrient solution. Then they are well rinsed and placed for three days on a soft cloth that is constantly kept wet. In this case, the temperature should be in the range of 22-26 ° C.

Culture should be planted on the site, which is well illuminated by sunlight. Sugar beets can be grown with such “neighbors” as beans, lettuce, and all kinds of cabbage. Such cultures, being even very close, will positively influence each other. With such a neighborhood the harvest will be higher, and the pests destroying the plants will be less.

Before planting seeds should be well prepared soil. To do this, you need to dig up the ground on the spade bayonet, mixing it with complex fertilizers.

After the appearance of five leaves on beet sprouts, the land is loosened. A week later, thinning of the seedlings is performed, after which only the strongest plants remain in the fields. The following procedures in the agrotechnical process consist in regular loosening of the aisle and watering, carried out once a week. At the end of September (10 days before the harvest), watering stops.

After planting shoots will appear around the tenth day. Immediately should be loosening. Beetroot has a peculiarity - several plants grow from one seed, therefore it is necessary to thin out and leave the strongest plants.Between the rows during the entire summer season at least five loosening should be carried out, the depth of which should increase from time to time as the root crops increase (from 5 to 12 cm).

During the period of active growth, root crops must be provided with nitrogen fertilizers. Ammonium nitrate is very well suited, which is added to the soil at the rate of 15 grams per square meter. When the roots begin to actively form, the land should be fertilized with phosphate and potash fertilizers at the rate of 10 grams per 1 square meter.

To get rid of pests use traditional means. Sprinkle with mustard on top of the plant, add wood ash to the root, and pour over the culture with infusion of celandine and dandelion.

Corneed strikes beet sprouts. The disease is manifested in the decay of the roots and the blackening of the stem, which quickly dies. Root plants are susceptible to lack of aeration and increased acidity of the soil. This disease is transmitted by seeds and can accumulate in the ground. The disease is controlled by autumn liming of the soil, seed treatment, timely thinning and removal of weeds, regular loosening, removal of all tops after harvesting.

Phomosis affects the whole plant (both leaves and root crop). The disease begins with aging leaves, detected during winter storage. The disease can be determined by cutting the root. In this case, in the core, you can see a hard black rot, lined with mycelium. Such lesions most often appear on alkaline soils. The annual alternation of crops and the application of boron fertilizers will save the beets from such trouble.

Downy mildew is susceptible to young leaves and flower stalks, which quickly curl and die. The disease contributes to the rotting of root crops during storage. Processing Bordeaux liquid root vegetables, prepared for seed, will save the culture from powdery mildew.

Cercosporosis appears as a spot on the leaf surface. Such a manifestation causes a pathogenic fungus, favorable conditions for which are high humidity and constant air temperature up to 20 ° C. The main source of the disease can be weeds. Regular removal of affected weeds, liming clay soils, seed treatment with Agam 25, and weekly spraying with copper-containing preparations will relieve the disease.

Sugar beets are sometimes affected by pests, to combat which the following measures are taken:

• to protect against wireworm and beet flea seedlings, seedlings and seeds are treated with insecticides before sowing;
• To protect against weevil, pre-sowing seed treatment is carried out.

For harvesting at work, firstly, they start up harvesting equipment on the field. Then, to harvest the root crops, a combine passes through the field. After harvesting, prior to shipment to a sugar factory, beets are stored in kagats, which are mounds of root crops of regular geometric shape with dimensions corresponding to GOST R 52678-2006.

Healthy, intact root vegetables, which are not processed by the sugar plant, but sold, are grouped into two categories. The storage period for category 1 is more than two months, and category 2 is up to two months. The difference between the categories is that the beet falls into the first category without mechanical damage, and in the second category there are roots with damages up to 12%.

Sugar beet is a technical crop.Sugar is produced from it, and waste is used to make citric acid, alcohol, glycerin and many other products.

Before sugar production, beets are cleaned from the ground. To do this, on the conveyors, it passes through special equipment: straw straw, stone trap, beet-washing machine. Pure root crops fall into the beet cutter, where, under the influence of centrifugal force, their transformation into beet chips is ensured. The finished chips fall into a diffuse column in which sugar is dissolved by water. A sugar-rich solution is collected at the bottom of the column, and the pulp (dehydrated chips) is discharged and fed to the pulp dryer for drying. In the future, pulp is sent to feed for livestock.

The next task of the technology is the removal of non-sugars from the resulting sugar solution. To this end, the juice is filtered, then lime is added to it, and after heating, the precipitate is removed. Carry out defecation, saturation, repeated filtration of the juice and, finally, concentrated by evaporation. The resulting syrup is evaporated in a centrifuge before crystallization at a temperature of 70 ° C, as a result of which sugar crystals form on the walls of the apparatus. Next, the sugar is discharged and sent to dry in a drying unit, where it is treated with hot air over 100 ° C.

The finished granulated sugar goes into the sieving machine, and then to the final production point (packing), where the packer puts a bag on the hopper neck, which the dispenser fills with sugar. The neck of a bag is sewn up. Then the sewn bag is transported to the finished goods warehouse by the conveyor.

Yellowed, slightly drying leaves are the main sign that the roots are already ripe. Harvesting must be completed before frost. The day before harvest, slightly moisten the soil. After this procedure, the roots will be removed from the ground much easier. Beets should be dried for two days in the open air, without access of active sunlight. Root crops are stored in a cool room in boxes of sand.

Our ancestors ate beets and used it as feed for livestock. Sugar beets are crushed, dried and used as a sweetener for jam, all kinds of pastries, compotes. In Russia, they made moonshine and syrups from sugar beet. To improve the taste of beet products, many people recommend peeling the tubers, although not everyone agrees.

Beetroot make syrup. It is considered more useful than counterparts sold in stores. To prepare the syrup with your own hands, you should put the peeled and chopped root vegetables in a saucepan. To avoid the appearance of bitterness, beets should not touch the bottom. Ten kilograms of beets are poured with 2 liters of boiling water and cooked on low heat for one hour with constant stirring.

After cooling, the resulting mass is squeezed using a press or canvas. The remaining pulp is poured with boiling water (at the rate of 1 liter of water per 2 kg of pulp), well stirred and placed in the oven for 40 minutes. Again squeeze, filtering the resulting composition through gauze, and put in a water bath for evaporation. The volume of liquid in the cooking process will be less than five times. Citric acid is added to the resulting syrup (1 g per 1 kg of syrup), placed in pasteurized jars and rolled up with lids.

From the remaining cake cook molasses. To do this, it is evenly laid out on a baking sheet (layer 1.5 cm thick) and put in the oven for 30 minutes (temperature should not exceed 85 ° C). Then the mass is cooled, mixed well and re-set in the oven. This procedure must be repeated 4 times.

The product should be tight. The resulting mass is laid out in bags and placed over the heating devices. After drying, the finished product is placed in jars or bags and stored in a cool place.

For more details on sugar beet cultivation, see the following video.