• Nutrient uptake in dry conditions • Alternative to artificial fertilisers • Helps crops reach yield potential More growers are treating beet crops with nitrogen fixing bacteria biofertilisers to ensure plants have essential nutrients available during key growth stages in dry weather. Early season applications of Vixeran lock nitrogen... Read more

Sugar beet growers looking to rationalise herbicide use should consider the pros and cons of alternatives – which may not suit all situations and seasons. British Sugar’s in-house weed specialist and technical support manager Pam Chambers has been testing different weed control strategies at a site in Yaxley, Suffolk,... Read more

• Dry spring slows crop growth • Many crops at different stages • Strategic approach to weeds Lack of rain continues to create challenging conditions for sugar beet – with hot weather adding to the challenge of what and when to spray for weed control. While the dry weather... Read more

Mastering disease control is crucial for growers to ensure sugar beet canopies keep photosynthesising efficiently this season. Speaking at a recent BASF webinar, experts gave a summary of the likely disease threats which could prevent growers from achieving maximum root weight and optimum sugar content. The key foliar diseases... Read more

A scientific breakthrough could provide UK farmers with environmentally friendly protection against a key sugar beet disease. Researchers at the Norwich-based John Innes Centre have developed a non-chemical molecular approach to protect crops against virus yellows – a disease which can reduce sugar beet yields by as much as... Read more

British Sugar has recruited Emily Whitmarsh as technical sales manager for LimeX – the most widely used liming product by UK farmers. A byproduct of the sugar-refining process, LimeX is popular with farmers for its fine particle size and the presence of additional plant nutrients. One tonne of LimeX... Read more

Ways to master disease control in sugar beet will be top of the agenda at a special industry webinar this month. Hosted by BASF in collaboration with British Sugar and the British Beet Research Association, the webinar will feature a presentation and topical advice by independent agronomist Craig Green.... Read more

Two new sugar beet varieties from Strube will be available for drilling in spring 2025, says the plant breeder. ST Trent and ST Tweed offer competitive performance with low bolting. ST Tweed in particular offers comparable yields to Morgan – with lower disease expression for rust, powdery mildew and... Read more

Sugar beet growers have been granted emergency authorisation to apply a second foliar spray of InSyst (acetamiprid) to control peach-potato aphid. The emergency authorisation follows a joint request by British Sugar and NFU Sugar, which represents some 2,500 beet growers. It was granted on 9 May by the Chemicals... Read more

Growers are being advised to discuss their requirements with plant breeders before ordering sugar beet seed tolerant to challenges faced by the crop. Six new sugar beet varieties have been added to the British Beet Research Organisation recommended list for drilling in 2025. They include varieties tolerant to Beet... Read more