Tropical Sugar Beet
6Pages

value through synergy

THE TROPICAL SUGAR BEET FROM SESVANDERHAVE For decades sugar beet has been cultivated in temperate countries to produce sugar. It has always been considered as a highly profitable crop and an excellent head of the rotation. More recently, with the development of biofuels, the very high ethanol yield of sugar beet combined with the 2007 rise in cereals and crude oil prices has also renewed interest in growing sugar beet for ethanol (France & Germany). In people’s mind, sugar beet is a temperate crop that is not adapted to sugar and ethanol production in tropical regions. The recent...

The big advantage of sugar cane is the bagasse: the fibrous residue left when sugar cane stalks are crushed. It can be used as cattle feed or sometimes as organic manure. But in India and Brazil it is increasingly used for the cogeneration of heat and power: it some cases it can meet all of the energy needed to run a factory. However it is worth knowing that sugar beet also produces several co-products with a high added-value: • The pulp (what is left of the root slices after raw juice extraction) can be sold or used directly on the farm as cattlefeed. It is rich in energy and high-quality...

1F.O. Licht, 2008 * = Kept by the farmer Why tropical sugar beet & sweet sorghum? ECONOMICALY FEASIBLE - For the farmer, the association of sweet sorghum with tropical beet ensures a high income. For the industry it allows to compete with the ethanol production cost in India (molasse) and Brazil (cane). LESS WATER NEEDED - Tropical sugar beets require 3 times less water than sugar cane whereas sweet sorghum is one of the most water efficient crop in the world. ABLE TO GROW ON SALINE SOILS - In regions where the cultivation of sugar cane is not possible because of salinity problems, sugar...

10 KEY ISSUES FOR GROWING TROPICAL SUGAR BEETS SEEDS SESVanderHave delivers tropical sugar beet varieties as monogerm seeds: a single plant comes out of each seed and therefore no thinning is needed. Our tropical varieties have been extensively tested in the field for their suitability to local requirements such as high temperatures and diseases resistance. The famous blue SESVanderHave seeds SOIL REQUIREMENTS Sugar beet can be grown on a wide range of soil types. But a deep soil (>1 m) is better adapted to host its long tap root. The crop grows best at a soil pH between 6.5 and 8.0 but...

WEED CONTROL Weed control can be done manually or chemically until the crop canopy meets (~1 month after sowing). After this point, it becomes unnecessary as the crop will smother competitive weeds. Southern species of leaf-eating caterpillars (e.g. Spodoptera exigua or S. littoralis) are the most common pests in India. Aphids, bugs and leaf minors occur only occasionally. Coating seeds with insecticide offers an efficient way of controlling these early pest infestations It is best to avoid growing sugar beet on fields known to be infested with tropical root knot nematodes. Leaf-eating...