How to increase sugar beet quality

When growing sugar beet the target is to produce pure crystalline sugar as efficiently as possible.

To achieve this goal high quality sugar beet needs to be grown.

Many buyers have created payment systems that reward high sugar content, low purification rates for juice, and clean beet roots. These payment systems help encourage the growers to deliver high quality sugar beet.

High quality sugar beet are rich in sucrose and low in amino-N, potassium and sodium. Though nitrogen and potassium are essential for high root yield, an excess of these nutrients decreases the juice purity and sugar extractability. These nutrients are not removed during the juice purification and consequently increase the molasses-sugar proportion during evaporation. To increase the final amount of pure crystalline sugar, it is important to keep the sugar content in the molasses as low as possible.

Crop Nutrition and Sugar Beet Quality

Nitrogen, potassium and sodium are the most influential of the macronutrients on sugar beet quality. Nitrogen is important for the yield but can also have a negative influence on juice purity.Boron has an impact on the beet storing quality whilst manganese and zinc can help improve quality.