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High-quality cutting of root crop tops at the root ensures both a high yield and determines the condition of the root crops before they are extracted from the soil. Therefore, the search for conditions that will ensure this is an important and urgent problem for the production of these crops. The purpose of this research was to determine, through an analytical study, the optimal parameters of a new design of a machine for harvesting root crop tops, which is mounted in front of an aggregating tractor and performs oscillatory movements in the longitudinal-vertical plane. Methods related to the modelling of complex dynamic systems consisting of an aggregating tractor and a front-mounted machine, the development and solution of the final form of differential equations of oscillatory motion and computer modelling of the oscillatory process were used. According to the developed equivalent scheme, a new differential equation of angular vibrations of the machine was solved in the final form. In addition, numerical modelling was performed on a PC, which allowed constructing graphical dependencies of the machine’s turning angle φ at different speeds V of its forward movement and values of the c stiffness coefficient and μ damping coefficient of the pneumatic tyres of the copying wheels, and at different values of the unevenness of the soil surface and the main design parameters of the machine. It was established that with an increase V from 1.5 m·s-1 to 2.5 m·s-1, the amplitude of oscillations of the machine’s turning angle φ increased from 0.88° to 1.18°. However, at V 1.5 m·s-1, the duration of the transient process is 0.22 s, and at a speed of 2.5 m·s-1, this figure is already 0.14 s, i.e., a decrease of 36%. The positive amplitude of oscillations φ of the machine’s steering angle reaches 1.2°, and the negative amplitude does not exceed 0.3°, i.e., the oscillation range is insignificant. In the range of values considered V, preference should be assigned to its higher value. The structural and kinematic parameters of the system examined were determined using computer simulation. The presented method of mathematical modelling of the oscillatory process can be used in the research of any machines that are hitched in front of the aggregating tractors

The molecular interactions between Polymyxa betae, the protist vector of sugar beet viruses, beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV), the causal agent of rhizomania, and Beta vulgaris have not been extensively studied. Here, the transmission of BNYVV to sugar beet by P. betae zoospores was optimized using genetically characterized organisms. Molecular interactions of aviruliferous and viruliferous protist infection on sugar beet were highlighted by transcriptomic analysis. P. betae alone induced limited gene expression changes in sugar beet, as a biotrophic asymptomatic parasite. Most differentially expressed plant genes were down-regulated and included resistance gene analogs and cell wall peroxidases. Several enzymes involved in stress regulation, such as the glutathione-S-transferases, were significantly induced. With BNYVV, the first stages of the P. betae life cycle on sugar beet were accelerated with a faster increase of relative protist DNA level and an earlier appearance of sporangia and sporosori in plants roots. A clear activation of plant defenses and the modulation of genes involved in plant cell wall metabolism were observed. The P. betae transcriptome in the presence of BNYVV revealed induction of genes possibly involved in the switch to the survival stage. The interactions were different depending on the presence or absence of the virus. P. betae alone alleviates plant defense response, playing hide-and-seek with sugar beet and allowing for their mutual development. Conversely, BNYVV manipulates plant defense and promotes the rapid invasion of plant roots by P. betae. This accelerated colonization is accompanied by the development of thick-walled resting spores, supporting the virus survival. [Graphic: see text] Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

The paper presents the results of three-year research on root yield and technological quality of ten sugar beet hybrids in the area of Županja. The obtained results showed that root and sugar yield as well as sugar content and extractable sugar are significantly influenced by year, ie weather conditions during the growing season. In the dry 2017 year, a significantly lower yield of roots and sugar was achieved. In 2017, less precipitation fell during the vegetation than the long-term average, with a lack of precipitation in May, June, July and August compared to the needs of sugar beet. High average monthly air temperatures were recorded in July and August. The highest sugar content (17.56 %) and extractable sugar content of the beet (15.29 %), but also the high sugar in molasses (1.67 %) were achieved in the dry 2017 year. The highest yield of roots (67.57 t/ha) and sugar (9.67 t/ha) and extractable sugar of sugar content (88.86 %) were achieved in 2019, which was characterized by higher precipitation in the first part of vegetation (April - July), and lower in the second part of vegetation. No statistically significant differences in root yield and technological quality were found among the studied hybrids, except in the potassium content. Significantly the lowest potassium content (2.83 mmol/100 g beet) was found in the Melindia KWS hybrid.

Abstract Background Sugar beet is an important crop for sugar production. Sugar beet roots are stored up to several weeks post-harvest waiting for processing in the sugar factories. During this time, sucrose loss and invert sugar accumulation decreases the final yield and processing quality. To improve storability, more information about post-harvest metabolism is required. We investigated primary and secondary metabolites of six sugar beet varieties during storage. Based on their variety-specific sucrose loss, three storage classes representing well, moderate, and bad storability were compared. Furthermore, metabolic data were visualized together with transcriptome data to identify potential mechanisms involved in the storage process. Results We found that sugar beet varieties that performed well during storage have higher pools of 15 free amino acids which were already observable at harvest. This storage class-specific feature is visible at harvest as well as after 13 weeks of storage. The profile of most of the detected organic acids and semi-polar metabolites changed during storage. Only pyroglutamic acid and two semi-polar metabolites, including ferulic acid, show higher levels in well storable varieties before and/or after 13 weeks of storage. The combinatorial OMICs approach revealed that well storable varieties had increased downregulation of genes involved in amino acid degradation before and after 13 weeks of storage. Furthermore, we found that most of the differentially genes involved in protein degradation were downregulated in well storable varieties at both timepoints, before and after 13 weeks of storage. Conclusions Our results indicate that increased levels of 15 free amino acids, pyroglutamic acid and two semi-polar compounds, including ferulic acid, were associated with a better storability of sugar beet taproots. Predictive metabolic patterns were already apparent at harvest. With respect to elongated storage, we highlighted the role of free amino acids in the taproot. Using complementary transcriptomic data, we could identify potential underlying mechanisms of sugar beet storability. These include the downregulation of genes for amino acid degradation and metabolism as well as a suppressed proteolysis in the well storable varieties.

Nitrogen (N) is an essential macronutrient for plants, acting as a common limiting factor for crop yield. The application of nitrogen fertilizer is related to the sustainable development of both crops and the environment. To further explore the molecular response of sugar beet under low nitrogen (LN) supply, transcriptome analysis was performed on the LN-tolerant germplasm '780016B/12 superior'. In total, 580 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in leaves, and 1,075 DEGs were identified in roots (log2|FC| ≥ 1; q value < 0.05). Gene Ontology (GO), protein-protein interaction (PPI), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses clarified the role and relationship of DEGs under LN stress. Most of the downregulated DEGs were closely related to "photosynthesis" and the metabolism of "photosynthesis-antenna proteins", "carbon", "nitrogen", and "glutathione", while the upregulated DEGs were involved in flavonoid and phenylalanine biosynthesis. For example, GLUDB (glutamate dehydrogenase B) was identified as a key downregulated gene, linking carbon, nitrogen, and glutamate metabolism. Thus, low nitrogentolerant sugar beet reduced energy expenditure mainly by reducing the synthesis of energy-consuming amino acids, which in turn improved tolerance to low nitrogen stress. The glutathione metabolism biosynthesis pathway was promoted to quench reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protect cells from oxidative damage. The expression levels of nitrogen assimilation and amino acid transport genes, such as NRT2.5 (high-affinity nitrate transporter), NR (nitrate reductase [NADH]), NIR (ferredoxin-nitrite reductase), GS (glutamine synthetase leaf isozyme), GLUDB, GST (glutathione transferase) and GGT3 (glutathione hydrolase 3) at low nitrogen levels play a decisive role in nitrogen utilization and may affect the conversion of the carbon skeleton. DFRA (dihydroflavonol 4-reductase) in roots was negatively correlated with NIR in leaves (coefficient = -0.98, p < 0.05), suggesting that there may be corresponding remote regulation between "flavonoid biosynthesis" and "nitrogen metabolism" in roots and leaves. FBP (fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase) and PGK (phosphoglycerate kinase) were significantly positively correlated (p < 0.001) with Ci (intercellular CO2 concentration). The reliability and reproducibility of the RNA-seq data were further confirmed by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) validation of 22 genes (R2 = 0.98). This study reveals possible pivotal genes and metabolic pathways for sugar beet adaptation to nitrogendeficient environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil productivity and fertility tends to decline if the nutrient requirement of an intensive cropping system is not managed prudently. Long term use of sole chemical fertilizers exhausts the indigenous pools of carbon and non-applied nutrients. It was a two factorial quadruplicated in randomized complete block design (RCBD) field experiment. Factor-1 treatments were cultivation of sole sugarcane and sugar beet, along with intercropping of both. Factor-2 included organic amendments, viz., farmyard manure (FM), press mud (PM) and compost (CP) used at (10 t/ha) with fertilizer rates (100, 250 Kg/ha) each of N-P2O5-K2O. Crop yield attributes and sugar yield data gave non-significantly difference between intercrops and cultivation of sugarcane and sugar beet sole, although there were slightly higher values for planting sole. Higher dose of NPK viz., 250 Kg/ha combined with FM gave better response regarding crop and sugar production and maximum economic returns. Sugarcane sugar beet intercropping proved financially higher to outdatedfarming system through integrated plant nutrient management. Among organic amendments, CP performed lower, while FM rendered upper values of crop and sugar production at both rates of fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widespread use of heat treatment in sugar extraction results in high energy consumption and some undesirable reactions due to the heat. In particular, the amount of energy used and the necessity of an additional treatment process to remove heat-related impurities from the sorbet contribute negatively to the price of the final product. Pulsed electric fields (PEF) are a non-thermal and lowenergy tissue breakdown method that has been proposed for use in extraction as a means of reducing these negative outcomes; studies into this area have been expanding to the present day. This review summarizes the findings of prior research to present an overview of the fundamental principles underlying the PEF technique, as well as its potential application methods in sugar extraction and their effects on extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the relationship between vernalization and endogenous phytohormones on bolting, phytohormone levels and transcriptome changes were measured by LC-MS/MS and RNA sequencing before vernalization (CK), at the end of 16 weeks of vernalization (Vel) and at 5 days after vernalization (Re). A total of 32 phytohormone compounds significantly changed after vernalization; especially, the content of abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid (JA) was dramatically decreased more than sixteen and three times in the Vel and Re samples. In addition, GA19 accumulated after vernalization, while the content of GA53 and GA20 decreased. A total of 7471 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in response to vernalization. These DEGs were enriched with GO terms including response to stimulus (GO:0050896), response to hormone (GO:0009725) and shoot system development (GO:0048367). KEGG mapping indicated that 16, 13 and 11 DEGs were involved in gibberellic acid (GA), ABA and JA biosynthesis, suggesting a negative role of vernalization in phytohormone biosynthesis. Vernalization also repressed the expression of BvABFs and BvMYC2s, implying the inhibition of ABA and JA signalling. Additionally, vernalization plays a positive role in GA signalling, owing to the down-regulation of BvDELLAs. We also found that GA3-induced bolting could be retarded by exogenous ABA and methyl jasmonate (MeJA). In total, our results suggest that vernalization can promote GA-induced bolting by decreasing BvDELLA repressors of GA signalling and eliminating the antagonistic effects of ABA and JA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugar beet, an important sugar crop, is particularly cultivated in humid regions to produce beet sugar, fulfilling about 25% of the world's sugar requirement, supplementing cane sugar. However, sugar beet is not well adopted in the farming system of the tropics and subtropics, which is largely due to the historically well-established production technology of sugarcane and the lower awareness among local growers of sugar beet cultivation. Thus, the poor understanding of pest and disease management and the lack of processing units for sugar beet partially hinder farmers in the large-scale adaptation of sugar beet in the tropics and subtropics. Recent climatic developments have drawn attention to sugar beet cultivation in those regions, considering the low water demand and about half the growing duration (5–6 months) in contrast to sugarcane, sparing agricultural land for an extra crop. Nevertheless, a considerable knowledge gap exists for sugar beet when closely compared to sugarcane in tropical and subtropical growth conditions. Here, we examined the leverage of existing published articles regarding the significance and potential of sugar beet production in the tropics and subtropics, covering its pros and cons in comparison to sugarcane. The challenges for sugar beet production have also been identified, and possible mitigation strategies are suggested. Our assessment reveals that sugar beet can be a promising sugar crop in tropical and subtropical regions, considering the lower water requirements and higher salt resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) are essential for diverse processes in plants, but their availability is often limiting or excessive. Cation diffusion facilitator (CDF) proteins have been implicated in the allocation of those metals in plants, whereby most of our mechanistic understanding has been obtained in Arabidopsis. It is unclear to what extent this can be generalized to other dicots. We characterized all CDFs/metal tolerance proteins of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris spp. vulgaris), which is phylogenetically distant from Arabidopsis. Analysis of subcellular localization, substrate selectivities, and transcriptional regulation upon exposure to metal deficiencies and toxicities revealed unexpected deviations from their Arabidopsis counterparts. Localization and selectivity of some members were modulated by alternative splicing. Notably, unlike in Arabidopsis, Mn‐ and Zn‐sequestrating members were not induced in Fe‐deficient roots, pointing to differences in the Fe acquisition machinery. This was supported by low Zn and Mn accumulation under Fe deficiency and a strikingly increased Fe accumulation under Mn and Zn excess, coinciding with an induction of BvIRT1. High Zn load caused a massive upregulation of Zn‐BvMTPs. The results suggest that the employment of the CDF toolbox is highly diverse amongst dicots, which questions the general applicability of metal homeostasis models derived from Arabidopsis. Summary statement: Cation diffusion facilitators, called metal tolerance proteins (MTPs) in plants, mediate the transport of metals out of the cytosol. Roles of these transporters in metal homeostasis have been inferred mainly from work on model species. It is unclear to what extent these findings can be generalized. Here we show that sugar beet MTPs often deviate from their Arabidopsis counterparts in terms of substrate spectrum, subcellular localization, as well as transcriptional regulation upon exposure to Fe, Mn, and Zn deficiency and Mn and Zn toxicity. The results indicate a diverse employment of these proteins in phylogenetically distant dicots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anastomosis groups (AGs) or subgroups of 244 Rhizoctonia isolates recovered from sugar beet roots with symptoms of root and crown rot were characterized to be AG-A, AG-K, AG-2-2IIIB, AG-2-2IV, AG-3 PT, AG-4HGI, AG-4HGII, and AG-4HGIII, with AG-4HGI (108 isolates, 44.26%) and AG-2-2IIIB (107 isolates, 43.85%) being predominate. Four unclassified mycoviruses and one hundred and one putative mycoviruses belonging to six families, namely Mitoviridae (60.00%), Narnaviridae (18.10%), Partitiviridae (7.62%), Benyviridae (4.76%), Hypoviridae (3.81%), and Botourmiaviridae (1.90%), were found to be present in these 244 Rhizoctonia isolates, most of which (88.57%) contained positive single-stranded RNA genome. The 244 Rhizoctonia isolates were all sensitive to flutolanil and thifluzamide, with average median effective concentration (EC50) value of 0.3199 ± 0.0149 μg·mL−1 and 0.1081 ± 0.0044 μg·mL−1, respectively. Among the 244 isolates, except for 20 Rhizoctonia isolates (seven isolates of AG-A and AG-K, one isolate of AG-4HGI, and 12 isolates of AG-4HGII), 117 isolates of AG-2-2IIIB, AG-2-2IV, AG-3 PT, and AG-4HGIII, 107 isolates of AG-4HGI, and six isolates of AG-4HGII were sensitive to pencycuron, with average EC50 value of 0.0339 ± 0.0012 μg·mL−1. Correlation index (ρ) of cross-resistance level between flutolanil and thifluzamide, flutolanil and pencycuron, and thifluzamide and pencycuron was 0.398, 0.315, and 0.125, respectively. This is the first detailed study on AG identification, mycovirome analysis, and sensitivity to flutolanil, thifluzamide, and pencycuron of Rhizoctonia isolates associated with sugar beet root and crown rot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field experiments carried out in 2019 – 2020 on the plots of PD Špačince, the influence of agroclimatic conditions of the year on the yield of roots and sugar content of 9 varieties (Alabaster, Francessa, Jagiellon, Klara, Livius, Nicolaus, Pegasus, Punkta Terra) of sugar beet was studied. The plots of PD Špačince are located in a beet production area at an altitude of 153–179 meters above sea level. The area belongs to the warm, very dry areas of Slovakia. By evaluating the results of the experiments, we have established a highly significant influence of temperature and humidity conditions of the tested years, as well as of the variety, on the root yield and sugar content. In 2020, a higher average root yield was achieved in the experiments (81.12 t·ha–1), while in 2019 a lower average yield of 74.59 t·ha–1 was recorded. The highest root yields were achieved in both years by the Pegasus variety, 95.75 t·ha–1 in 2020 and 84.88 t·ha–1 in 2019 with declared tolerance to drought. With a higher root yield in 2020, we also observed a higher yield variability of the tested set of varieties in the range of 22.79 t·ha–1 compared to 2019 with a root yield range of 19.47 t·ha–1. The average sugar content of the tested varieties was statistically significantly different between the years, with a higher average sugar content in 2019 (14.45%), while in 2020 the average sugar content was 14.25%. Statistically, the highest average sugar content in the tested years was found in the Nicolaus variety (15.9%). None of the varieties had individually statistically significantly different sugar content when comparing the same variety between the climatically different years 2019 and 2020, which indicates a higher stability of sugar content compared to the sugar beet root yields in the tested location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A near-infrared spectrometer equipped with a sample conveyor has been constructed to develop an instrument for continuous, nondestructive, rapid evaluation of sucrose content in sugar beet. With a conveyor speed of 20 m/min and a sampling interval of 50 cm, 40 measurements per minute are possible. A calibration curve was created by PLS regression analysis using spectral data (second derivative processing) of each sample as the explanatory variable and the actual measured sucrose content as the objective variable. For evaluation of the calibration curve, calculation of sucrose content from the spectra was highly accurate with a correlation coefficient (r), standard error of prediction (SEP), and root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.918, 0.65 %, and 0.65 %, respectively. The accuracy of the calibration curve was judged as "high" for both precision and utility, with an EI value, which is an accuracy index, of 17.5 %. Comparing the average "measured value" and "predicted value" for all samples used for calibration curve evaluation confirmed that there was almost no difference between them. The difference between the measured and predicted values was calculated by randomly extracting samples (2 to 100 samples) from the samples for evaluation and obtaining their average value (1 000 iterations). Extracting 50 or more samples predicted the average value with an error of within approximately 0.1 %. These results indicate that this method is effective as a non-destructive, simple, labor-saving, and rapid sucrose content evaluation method for sugar beet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugar beet is a characteristic cash crop in Inner Mongolia, and water and fertilizer is an important management measure in sugar beet planting. The interaction between water and nitrogen is of practical significance in regulating the growth of sugar beet. The coordinated relationship between water and fertilizer can achieve the purpose of water saving, fertilizer saving, cost saving and efficiency increasing. The cultivation method of drip irrigation under plastic mulch was adopted in this study. The effects of water nitrogen supply on water metabolism and photosynthetic performance of sugar beet were studied through two years of field experiments in order to provide theoretical basis for improving the utilization efficiency of water and fertilizer and rational fertilization and irrigation. The results showed that the water nitrogen supply level and its proportion had influence with the water potential, Transpiration rate (Tr), Photosynthetic rate (Pn) and stomatal Conductance (Cond) of sugar beet leaves. And they were significantly positively correlated with the yield of sugar beet. When the water potential of sugar beet leaves was −0.38 ∼ −0.23 MPa in the period of leaf fast growth, root and sugar growth, and −0.45 ∼ −0.38 MPa in the period of sugar accumulation, the yield and sugar content were the highest. Under the coupling condition of water and nitrogen, the irrigation amount of sugar beet was 1350 ∼ 1427 m3·ha−1, and the nitrogen application amount was 150 ∼ 179.22 kg·ha−1. Sugar beet has the highest utilization rate of light energy and yield and sugar content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]