Targeted input strategies will be essential if sugar beet is to remain profitable in 2025, as falling prices intensify pressure on margins.
A £10/t price drop between 2024 and 2025 – with further reductions adding to the squeeze – means growers must extract more from every kilogram of fertiliser and every pass across the field, say advisers.
Sugar beet remains a valuable break crop in arable rotations, interrupting pest and disease cycles including nematodes, aphids, septoria tritici and grass weeds. But establishment continues to test growers.
Biostimulants
David Newton, technical product manager at Timac Agro, says integrating a biostimulant programme is gaining traction among UK growers. Trials independently verified by Ceres Research have shown promising results, he adds.
They include root and foliar solution Fertiactyl Starter, designed to optimise early growth; followed by a foliar product such as Seactiv Gold, enhanced with boron and molybdenum, to prevent stress-related growth interruption.
These formulations – of seaweed extracts, amino acids and humates enhances photosynthesis – can help to produce more sugar and optimise its distribution within the plant, while maintaining its hunger for absorption of nutrition via the roots.
Trial crops received 5l/ha of each product, with the starter at around the four-leaf stage and Seactiv Gold at full canopy. Results showed a significant uplift in growth, and a yield uplift of 30%, as well as higher sugar content and fewer impurities.
Nitrogen discipline
“Biostimulants have an increasing role to reduce crop losses and maximise the efficiency of nutritional inputs,” says Mr Newton. Establishment sets the base for yield, but nutrition must remain balanced as canopy and root demand build.
Growers should take a balanced approach to nutrition, agrees David Harrod, commercial director at Payne Crop Nutrition, who warns against chasing early greenness with nitrogen.
“Too much nitrogen will increase foliage but reduce sucrose content and juice purity, while also increasing the risk of nutrient losses through leaching,” he says. “I recommend aiming for around 120kg of nitrogen per hectare as an optimum, adjusting for field conditions, and use split applications to better match crop demand throughout the growing season.”
This is where a foliar application can also be considered, says Mr Harrod. Starter fertilisers help maintain readily available nutrients close to the rooting zone, supporting early root growth and more uniform establishment, he adds.
“Band placing nitrogen 5–10cm to the side and below the seed can improve uptake and result in a 10–20% reduction in application rate without compromising performance,” explains Mr Harrod.
This is particularly relevant on high pH soils where phosphate availability can be restricted. Growers should aim for a potassium index of 2 – and bear in mind that sugar beet generally only responds to fresh potassium on very low-index soils.
“The addition of sodium can also help in improving water regulation and leaf function; applying agricultural salt ahead of drilling, or including it in a bespoke blend, can support root development and sugar yield, particularly on lighter, sandy soils. Sulphur and magnesium also need to be on the checklist, with an ideal nitrogen to sulphur ratio of around 15:1.”
Protect margins
With tighter margins forecast, some growers may look to trim costs by removing leaf testing from this season’s plan. But Mr Newton again urges caution.
“The extra £50 you might spend per sample could highlight a nutrient deficiency that once rectified, could result in a significantly higher yield.”
Leaf testing between the four- to six-leaf stage and canopy closure provides a clear picture of plant nutrient status, identifying deficiencies before they limit yield, says Mr Newton.
When price pressure leaves little room for inefficiency, precision – not volume – is likely to determine profitability.