Decision time for beet growers

With sugar beet contracts due for return to British Sugar by Friday 17th August it is time to make decisions about seed varieties and treatment options for 2008.

"There are six newcomers to the variety list making a very good selection to choose from this year," says British Sugar's John Prince. "For yield, Trinita tops the conventional varieties with an adjusted yield score of 104.5 closely followed by Alota and Opta. These three offer yield potential of 4.4% to 5.5 % over Dominika and Cinderella, which are both now outclassed."

"If you don't need a rhizomania resistor, stick to the conventional varieties," he advises. "Their yield potential is generally 1.5% better, so only swap to one when you need to." Of the rhizomania resistors Goya and Bullfinch score highest for yield with established variety Bobcat a very close third.

"To achieve the full potential of these varieties though, they need to be protected against early season pest damage and aphid pressure with a neo-nicotinoid seed treatment," he emphasises. "In NIAB trials the highest levels of establishment ever recorded – in excess of 90% - have been achieved with Poncho Beta treated seed."

"Even with this year's very dry April, and aphids flying early in phenomenally high numbers the neo-nicotinoid treatments have worked well. Virus infection is nothing like as high as would have been expected under such high risk conditions."

A third feature of this unusual season has been the high proportion of aphids with MACE resistance. Bayer's Nigel Adam observes that MACE resistance has been increasing in recent years making seed treatment an essential consideration for 2008. 'Pirimicarb cannot control MACE aphids and the emergency off-label approval of Biscaya was for 2007 only," he says.

Poncho Beta treatment is an option on all 21 varieties on British Sugar's 2008 seed order form and is priced at £2.07 per unit less than Cruiser Force.