Variety choice is playing an increasingly important role in helping growers get the best from sugar beet crops, say experts.
With the 2026 beet crop now in the ground, attention is turning to weed beet management, disease pressure and crop resilience, says Martin Brown, sugar beet product manager for seed breeder KWS.
“Growers can’t change the conditions they have drilled into, but they can assess how crops establish, how well they cope with field-specific pressures and where different varietal traits could add value in future seasons,” he says.
Establishment sets baseline
Strong establishment remains the foundation of yield, particularly in challenging springs. Poor seedbed preparation continues to limit the potential of too many crops, warns Mr Brown.
“Too often, especially on heavier soils in dry springs, cultivations have been rushed or insufficiently refined. That leads to cloddy seedbeds and poor seed-to-soil contact. Given growers only place 110,000-120,000 seeds/ha, every seed must count.”
Modern machinery can encourage growers to drill in suboptimal conditions, adds Mr Brown. This can reduce plant populations and ultimately limit root development – and yield, he says.
“Heavier kit, paired with a temptation to push on regardless of soil condition, can come back to bite growers. It may seem like you can get away with it at drilling, but the penalty comes later when plant stands are less than ideal and roots are small.”
Field pressure
As crops establish, attention is also turning to how genetics can address specific on-farm challenges. Breeding programmes have expanded to include traits targeting pests, diseases and weed competition.
KWS has developed varieties with tolerance to beet cyst nematode (BCN), virus yellows and cercospora, alongside weed beet control through Conviso Smart systems. “It wasn’t long ago that rhizomania resistance was a niche trait – now it is universal.
“Since then, we’ve added BCN tolerance, Conviso Smart for weed beet control, virus yellows tolerance, and most recently CR+ for cercospora. Each trait addresses a specific on-farm challenge.”
While the focus remains on the current crop, some growers are already considering variety choices for next season. Mr Brown says weed beet remains a key driver in those decisions.
“If weed beet is limiting, Conviso Smart can open that land back up,” he says. “Stacked-trait Conviso Smart varieties such as Smart Nelda have opened up ground that was previously off limits by combining weed beet control with BCN tolerance.”
He adds that disease resistance will become more important later in the season, particularly for crops lifted into winter. Despite recent volatility, Mr Brown says sugar beet remains a competitive option in the rotation.
“Sugar beet has been up and down in recent years, but in general its margins still compare favourably with cereals,” he says. “It remains a reliable crop to bank on, provided the growing process is properly managed.”
The immediate priority though, is to protect crop potential. “As growers assess crop performance over the months ahead, the lessons from this year could prove just as valuable when it comes to choosing the right genetics for 2027.”