June 21, 2001

Wet Weather Problems Continue For Sugarbeet Growers

The continued wet weather is raising concerns regarding insect, weed and seedling disease problems. "Wet soils at temperatures of 72 to 82 degrees fahrenheit are optimum conditions for the development of aphanomyces," says Mohammed Khan, North Dakota State University Extension Service sugar beet specialist. "Aphanomyces can be devastating in the seedling stage and can cause serious root rot later in the season."

Infected plants turn a sickly yellow green and tend to wilt in the afternoons of hot and sunny days. Growers should inspect their fields during that time frame according to Khan. Aphanomyces may infect a few plants to entire fields. Some plants may die. Plants that survive the infection are more likely to have roots that are easily dislodged during harvesting and will have a lower sucrose content and higher impurities.

"Diseased roots have a much higher respiration rate compared to healthy roots," says Khan. "As a result, the quality of storage piles can be reduced significantly when diseased roots are stored with healthy ones."

To manage aphanomyces, growers should consider keeping the soil as dry as possible by cultivation and enhanced drainage. Controlling weeds and avoiding the spread of contaminated soil from infected fields to disease free fields is also important.

Kochia continues to be a weed problem particularly in wet years when it’s raining frequently and growers aren’t able to get in the fields to spray. Some growers may have to use hand labor in some of the more heavily infested fields. Another weed that has been difficult for some growers to control this year is lambsquarters.

Insect problems have also surfaced this year. "We are experiencing more insect problems than we’ve seen in the last six or seven years," according to Al Cattanach, general agronomist with American Crystal Sugar. "Cutworm and wireworm problems will probably continue through the month of June so growers need to be on alert and scout their fields."

Springtail, a very small insect, is also causing problems. "Springtail hardly ever caused any damage until the late 90's," notes Cattanach. "This year some districts are reporting considerable damage."

Approximately 300,000 of American Crystal acres were planted to sugarbeets by the 20th of May. Those acres have shown a very high germination and emergence rate. "So we think the first acres planted have a potential in the 19 to 20 ton range or better," says Cattanach. "But the last 190,000 acres that we’ve struggled to plant over the last four or five weeks is probably going to yield in the 15 to 18 ton range and perhaps slightly better. What we need is a lot of warm to hot weather and dry conditions through the rest of the summer to make up for the early cool, wet conditions and late planting."

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Source: Mohammed Khan, (701) 231-8596, mkhan@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Al Cattanach, (218) 236-4487, acattana@crystalsugar.com
Editor: Rich Mattern, (701) 231-6136, Richard_Mattern@ndsu.nodak.edu

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