Sugar Beet Cultivation and Management

Soil Preparation:

• Plow the land twice or turn it over, then apply preparation fertilizers as follows, followed by two perpendicular levelings to the plowing direction.

Planting Seasons:

• First season: July 15 – Early September
• Second season: Early September – Early October
• Third season: Early October – Mid-November

Soil Preparation and Fertilization:

• Apply 3 bags of single superphosphate + 25 kg of potassium sulfate + 50 kg of ammonium sulfate during soil preparation.
• Ridges should be 14 per two qasba (local measurement) or beds with 55 cm width.
• Use 3.5 to 4 kg of seeds per feddan, planting two lines per bed with a 45 cm spacing and 8–10 cm between seeds.
• Irrigate immediately after planting with sufficient water.

Fertilization Schedule:

1. One month after planting:
   • Apply 2 bags of urea + 25 kg of calcium nitrate.
2. Two months after planting:
   • Apply 2 bags of ammonium nitrate + 25 kg of calcium nitrate + 25 kg of magnesium sulfate + 25 kg of potassium sulfate.
3. 80–90 days after planting:
   • Apply 2 bags of ammonium nitrate as the third dose.
4. Micronutrient spraying:
   • Apply 400g per feddan at 50 days old.
   • Apply boron at 300 cm per feddan at 60 days old.
   • Apply micronutrients with boron again at 85 days old.

Irrigation:

• The first irrigation should be abundant and cold.
• The second irrigation should be after 12 days, quick, and drained within 24 hours to prevent root rot.

Thinning:

• Conduct one month after planting, leaving only the strongest plant per hole.

Weed Control:

• Control weeds manually through hoeing or by spot spraying12 days after emergence using specialized herbicides:
  • Cross (1.5 L/feddan)
  • Tigro (800 cm³/feddan)
  • Betanal Max Pro (500 cm³/feddan)
  • Betasana Trio (600 cm³/feddan)

Pest Control:

• The first planting season is particularly susceptible to various worms, including cutworms, cotton leafworms, and bollworms.
• Integrated pest management (IPM) may require up to 3 sprays within the first 20 days using appropriate insecticides.

Disease Management:

1. Root Rot:
   • Use barrel irrigation with proper fungicides such as Rizolex or Moncut.
   • Alternatively, spray Topsin or Trust fungicides.
2. Cercospora Leaf Spot:
   • Thrives in high temperatures and humidity.
   • Control using copper-based fungicides, Obs (300 cm³/feddan), Score (250 cm³/feddan), or Montoro (300 g/feddan).
3. Rhizoctonia:
   • Causes root rot, blackening, and decomposition.
   • Treat with specialized fungicides.
4. Nematodes:
   • Increasingly spreading, requiring proper treatment with suitable compounds.

Harvesting Process:

• Harvest begins 180–210 days after planting.
• Beets are uprooted with tops intact and left for a day to dry leaves and soil residues.
• The following day, tops are removed, beets are piled, then transported outside the field and finally to factories.

Beet Pricing & Bonuses:

• Base price: 500 EGP per ton for 16% sugar content.
• Sugar bonuses: 25 EGP for every additional 1% of sugar above 16%.
• Early harvest bonuses:
  • Feb 1–10: 130 EGP/ton
  • Feb 11–20: 120 EGP/ton
  • Feb 21–28: 100 EGP/ton
  • Mar 1–10: 90 EGP/ton
  • Mar 11–20: 70 EGP/ton
  • Mar 21–30: 60 EGP/ton
  • Apr 1–10: 40 EGP/ton
  • Apr 11–20: 20 EGP/ton
  • Apr 21 – Jul 1: 15 EGP/ton

Source: Engineer Saber Abdel Rahman