What causes low beet yields?

Beet is another source of sugar besides sugarcane and has high economic value, but due to inadequate cultivation techniques, beet yields cannot be increased, and cultivation problems have now become the main factor restricting beet development. So what are the causes of low beet yields? And how should they be solved? Let's take a look together.

1. Continuous cropping on the same land

Beet generally has the problem of a short cropping period, and many farmers often adopt continuous cropping, which causes soil nutrients and moisture to be continuously consumed, leading to soil compaction and poor beet growth. Generally, after 2-3 years of continuous cropping, beet yields decrease by about 20%-35%.

Solution: In this case, reasonable crop rotation should be carried out, with a rotation cycle of more than 6-7 years, and continuous cropping on the same land should be eliminated. At the same time, note that beet is relatively sensitive to herbicides, which can also cause yield-loss incidents, so herbicides with high residues should be avoided as much as possible.

2. Insufficient fertilization

Beet is a crop with a high fertilizer requirement, and scientific and reasonable fertilization during planting is needed to obtain high yields. However, due to a lack of planting knowledge, many farmers apply only a small amount of farmyard manure and do not apply chemical fertilizer or apply very little, so beet does not have sufficient nutrients for growth, resulting in low yields.

Solution: In this case, fertilizer sources should be broadened, and more organic fertilizer should be applied, which can promote beet root enlargement and also alleviate herbicide damage, achieving increased yield and income. During the beet growing period, chemical fertilizer should be applied scientifically and reasonably, mainly phosphate fertilizer, supplemented with nitrogen. Generally, topdressing should be done 2-3 times during the growing period, each time with 10-15 kg of urea, 20-30 kg of diammonium phosphate, and 8-10 kg of potassium sulfate per mu.

3. Too sparse planting

The yield per unit area of beet is composed of the root weight of a single plant and the number of effective plants per unit area. If the weight of a single plant is high but the population number is small, its yield will also be relatively low. In many areas, farmers have the habit of sparse planting, generally controlling plant spacing and row spacing at 30×70 cm or 40×70 cm, which leads to low beet yields.

Solution: In this case, appropriate dense planting should be carried out, reducing plant spacing and increasing the total number of plants. Generally, plant spacing and row spacing should be controlled between 20×60 cm or 30×65 cm.

4. Pests and diseases

In recent years, beet pests and diseases have become increasingly serious. Some farmers do not pay attention to beet pests and diseases or are helpless against them, and do not carry out timely control when disease occurs, causing pests and diseases to become more and more serious. Some beets are almost completely eaten by pests, causing a large decline in yield. According to surveys, after beet is infected with brown spot disease and root rot, the yield generally decreases by about 20%.

Solution: Attention should be paid to the control of beet pests and diseases, focusing on the control of cutworms, root rot, and brown spot disease. Cutworms can also be controlled with phoxim, brown spot disease can be controlled with thiophanate-methyl, and root rot can be controlled by drenching the roots with carbendazim or chlorothalonil.

The above is an introduction to the causes of low beet yields. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please follow us.