What causes hollow heart in sugar beet, and how should it be prevented and controlled?
Hollow heart often occurs during the cultivation of sugar beet, seriously affecting the quality of the sugar beet and bringing economic losses to farmers, so measures must be taken to prevent and control this condition. Here is an introduction to the causes of hollow heart in sugar beet and the prevention and control methods.
1. Causes of hollow heart
It is mainly caused by different environments and improper management, which lead to an imbalance between the rate of cell division and volume growth in the sugar beet root crown, resulting in the hollow heart phenomenon. During sugar beet cultivation, rainy weather is very likely to be encountered, so water is plentiful. Root crown cell division accelerates, and volume increases relatively quickly, but if dry weather occurs later, cell division and volume growth are inhibited, thus forming the hollow heart phenomenon. In addition, improper cultivation management can also cause hollow heart, and irrigation is one of these; excessive planting density and one-sided application of nitrogen fertilizer will all increase the probability of hollow heart, as they cause excessive growth of the root crown and lead to overly rapid cell division. Pests and diseases are also one of the causes of hollow heart; manually breaking off leaves causes new regrowth, and the rapid rotation of new and old leaves causes elongation of the root crown, raising the probability of hollow heart.
2. Prevention and control measures
1. First, during planting, carry out deep plowing and hilling to create a good soil environment, so that the root tuber grows normally and excessive growth of the root tuber is suppressed.
2. During planting, plant at a reasonable density according to the local actual conditions. In plots with abundant rainfall and higher accumulated temperature, planting can be appropriately thinner; conversely, in plots with less rainfall and lower accumulated temperature, planting should be appropriately denser. Where the soil is loose and fertile and rich in organic matter, and more fertilizer is applied, planting can be appropriately thinner; otherwise, plant more densely.
3. When fertilizing, note that one-sided application of nitrogen fertilizer is not advisable, so as to avoid excessive growth of the plants. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium should be applied reasonably so that the plants grow both quickly and well. There are special fertilizers for sugar beet on the market, which can be applied directly.
4. In dry conditions, irrigate in a timely manner, but flood irrigation is not advisable, so as to avoid excessive growth of the root tuber. Small amounts of frequent irrigation or sprinkler irrigation are suitable, keeping the soil moisture content at about 80%, which is beneficial for the accumulation of sugar in the sugar beet.
5. Pests and diseases should be prevented and controlled in a timely manner, especially Cercospora leaf spot. At the same time, when breaking off leaves, try to break off the outer functional leaves, so that the plants can carry out photosynthesis normally, which is beneficial for the accumulation of nutrients.