Growth and Quality of Sugar Beet and Its Relationship to Sowing Method, Nitrogen and Boron Fertilization

Abstract

Two field experiments were carried out at Itay El-Baroud Experimental station in El-Beheira Governorate, Agriculture Research Center, Egypt in the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 winter seasons to study the effect of four different systems to display the ridge in the planting of sugar beet (ridge width 110 cm (Rw1), ridge width 100 cm (Rw2), ridge width 90 cm (Rw3) and ridge width 80 cm (Rw4), four nitrogen fertilizer levels (75 kg N /fed (N1), 90 kg N /fed (N2), 105 kg N /fed (N3) and 120 kg N /fed (N1) and three systems of boron foliar spray (zero boron (B0), foliar spray once of boron at 95 days from sowing (B1) and Foliar spray twice of boron at 95 and 125 day from sowing (B2) on growth, yield and quality characters of sugar beet. Results showed that planting sugar beet on a wider ridge of 110 cm recorded the highest chlorophyll content and crop growth rate while planting sugar beet on a narrow ridge of 80cm resulted in the highest leaf area index. Grown sugar beet on a narrow ridge of 90cm resulted in the highest root yield, sugar yield /fed and quality in both seasons. Increasing nitrogen fertilizer levels from 75 to 90, 105 and 120 kg N /fed significantly decreased root yield, sugar yield/fed and quality in both seasons. Whereas increasing foliar spray of boron from zero to one and twice foliar spraying increased root yield, sugar yield/fed and quality. It could be concluded from these results that planting sugar beet on ridge narrow of 90 cm, 75 kg N/fed and twice foliar spraying of boron are the suitable recommendation to maximize sugar beet productivity and quality. beet ridge width ridge width ridge width systems of boron foliar of Foliar boron 95 days from sowing Foliar twice days beet