Sugar Beets: Planning for In-Season Applications
Posted By Jeffrey Gilder, Agronomist on June 30, 2022
For sugar beet growers, it is now time to start planning your fungicide applications. With this, it is a great opportunity to apply additional nutrients like potassium to enhance your return on investment (ROI).
Potassium can get overlooked in nutrition planning, but it is one of the most important nutrients in sugar beet production. Potassium strengthens the plants' ability to resist disease and plays a key role in increasing crop yields and overall quality. It is a necessary and important nutrient to help overall plant growth and health, which in turn impacts yield.
Impact to yields is the best way to evaluate ROI. Potassium is important in photosynthesis, cell production, and the synthesis of proteins and carbohydrates. However, its most important role in sugar beet production may be sugar translocation and starch formation.
It has been discussed and demonstrated that a good fertility program consisting of both mid-season and late-season application of potassium can improve percent sugar and increase recoverable sugar per acre. The Andersons High Yield Solutions program includes an application of Over Pass® 10-2-10 at canopy closure and Korrect® Plus at 30 days prior to harvest. In a third-party study, foliar applications of Over Pass 10-2-10 and Korrect Plus increased recoverable sugar per acre by 287.2 pounds and percent sugar by 0.5 (Figure 1). To view the starter results on sugar beets, download the 2021 Research Guide.
Figure 1: Over Pass 10-2-10 and Korrect Plus performance on sugar beets.
Along with potassium, Over Pass 10-2-10 and Korrect Plus contain boron and manganese. Micronutrients are essential for crop development and quality. Boron helps move sugar in the plant and is important in cell wall formation. Manganese plays a vital role in photosynthesis and chlorophyll.
As you put together your plan for fungicides and plant diseases, take time to evaluate your fertility plan and consider including Over Pass 10-2-10 with your early fungicide application and Korrect Plus in your later fungicide application to improve your ROI.
Looking for more information? Check out these resources from The Andersons:
- Cercospora Leaf Spot on Sugar Beets
- The Andersons High Yield Solutions for Sugar Beets
- 2021 Research Guide
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Please complete the form, and we’ll get you in touch with your Territory Manager from The Andersons.
©2022 The Andersons, Inc. All rights reserved. Over Pass and Korrect are registered trademarks of The Andersons, Inc.
