\i sugar crops the domestic production of sugar beets. Some Problems Beet sugar produced in the United States is in demand for food and for the chemical, pharmaceutical, fer- in Growing mentation, and heavy industries. The byproducts of the sugar beet— tops, molasses, and pulp—are used Sugar Beets chiefly as a feed for livestock. Beet molasses is also highly important in the fermentation industry, particularly for George H. Coons the production of citric acid. Beet pulp, the slices of beet from which the Sugar beets are grown for sugar in sugar has been extracted, is fed in wet 22 States—Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, or dry form to cattle. Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nearly 670,000 acres of sugar beets Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, were harvested in 1952. On that acreage North Dakota, Colorado, Montana, 10,217,000 tons of sugar beets were Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, grown and were processed in 68 fac- Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Wy- tories. The approximately 1,532,000 oming, and California. They are tons of sugar (raw value) produced grown in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, from "the sugar beet roots contributed Nevada, California, and Oregon for nearly 20 percent of the estimated seed. national sugar consumption of 7,900,000 Almost 20 percent of the national tons. Production in 1951 was much sugar requirem.ent is obtained from like that of 1952, 700,000 acres being 201500°—53 34 510 YEARBOOK OF AGRICULTURE 1953 harvested and about 10,500,000 tons problem were attacked qu ickly .Thanks of sugar beets being grown. In 1950, also to some earlier research, progress on 924,000 acres, 24.5 percent of the in the development of varieties resist- national sugar requirement was pro- ant to curly top was immediate. By duced. 1933, seed w^as being increased of the Disease-resistant varieties have been resistant variety that was introduced used almost exclusively to grow the in 1934 as U. S. I. Since then, U. S. i American sugar beet crop. To obtain and the other resistant sorts that fol- the seed for growing the commercial lowed in quick succession—U. S. 34, crop of sugar beets for the factories to U. S. 33, U. S. 12, and U. S. 22—have process, the industry maintains several removed from western agriculture the seed-producing enterprises. threat of crop failure from curly top. Beet sugar can only be produced in It cannot be said that curly top is factories equipped to carry on the vanquished. Severe exposure in the complicated chemical processes nec- worst years still takes its toll. But essary to extract and purify the sugar farmers may now plant the new varie- that is stored in the roots. Usually the ties with confidence that the crop will beets are grown within a radius of 40 be carried through to a reasonably to 60 miles of the factory. A highly high yield despite disease. intensified culture on the best lands Meanwhile the producers farther nearby is the result; on the farms east w^ere being plagued by sporadic themselves, sugar beets are usually the epidemics of leaf spot. Leaf spot, main cash crop, and farmers have been caused by the fungus Cercospora beticola, tempted to grow beets on the same blights the tops so that root growth is fields repeatedly rather than to make dwarfed and the percentage of sucrose them part of a rotation system. Twin is cut. Its efi'ccts are less dramatic than problems of diseases and low^ered fer- those of curly top, but it occurs more tility consequently have arisen; indeed, widely and is more damaging to the the history of the industry as it moved industry. from the Eastern States westward, Leaf spot is a wasting disease. It can and then sought in place after place reduce tonnage and sucrose enough to for suitable production areas, reflects make the beet crop unprofitable to the damage done by curly top, leaf farmer and factory. The blight years spot, and root diseases. are those in which rainy periods are Curly top by 1926 had caused re- frequent in the early half of the season peated failures of the sugar beet crop and total rainfall is abundant—the in States west of the Rocky Moun- very conditions that should give a tains. In years of outbreak, the average bumper crop bring only disappoint- acre yields from some districts dropped ment as wave after wave of leaf blight- from an expected 15 tons to 5 tons or ing occurs. In epidemic years, leaf less. The history of sugar beet culture spot may kill back the entire foliage in the Truckee project of Nevada, bouquet several times in a season. Salt River project of Arizona, Delta New growth is pushed out only to be and other areas in Utah, the San blighted in 2 or 3 weeks. Replacement Joaquin Valley of California, the of blighted leaves is at the expense of Yakima Valley of Washington, and root growth and stored sugar, hence many others is all much the same—a the crop is lacking in weight and qual- brief period of fine prospects and then ity. Between 1915 and 1930, blight crop failure because of curly top, with years were frequent. Factories in the ultimate abandonment of sugar beets Midwest and in the more eastern by farmers. districts were in financial distress. Congress in 1929 appropriated funds The first leaf spot resistant variety, for investigations of curly top and the U. S. 217, was introduced in 1938 by beet leafhopper. All aspects of the the Department of Agriculture. Its SOME PROBLEMS IN GROWING SUGAR BEETS 511 average production of sugar was 5 planting of 25 percent of the acreage percent more an acre than that of the around a factory has been necessary. susceptible European varieties. It was The sugar beet cannot attain stable soon replaced by U. S. 200 x 215, a production and full mechanization is hybrid variety that served the industry not possible until disease-safe varieties from 1940 to 1944. It gave higher root are available. U. S. 216—a leaf spot yields than.U. S. 217 and was at least resistant inbred—was also found to be 8 to 10 percent superior to European outstanding in its resistance to black varieties if leaf spot was prevalent. root. The superimposing of resistance U. S. 215 X 216 was introduced in to black root upon resistance to leaf spot 1945. It became the leader in the seems entirely feasible in varieties built humid area. Without leaf spot, it is as around U. S. 216 and its close rela- productive as the nonresistant Euro- tives. A number of selections resistant pean types; if leaf spot is serious, it is to black root have been made from at least 15 percent superior in pro- varieties resistant to leaf spot. Varieties duction of sugar. that wxre ready for introduction in Still another disease contributed 1953 combine resistance to leaf spot earlier to the general instability of our with moderate resistance to black beet sugar industry—the seedling and root. They are equal to nonresistant root disease complex that farmers call strains when disease is absent and black root. It occurs all over the superior when leaf spot and some black United States but is worse in the root occur. Plant breeders hope they humid area. The primary cause of will solve the problem of black root. black root of seedling beets is the water mold, Apkanomyces cochlioides. WEATHER CONDITIONS sometimes pro- Other damping-ofif organisms are duce efi'ects on sugar beets that re- associated in the seedling disease com- semble symptoms of disease. Hot, dry plex but are less important or more winds may cause scorching of the edges readily controlled. Black root may of leaves. Such leaf scorch should not kill so many of the seedlings that the be confused with blighting by fungus. stands after thinning are below or on Sugar beets are relatively hardy, but the border line of profitable produc- early frosts may injure the emerging tion. If rainfall in spring is slightly plants. Such an injury may be dis- above normal or if the soil is infested tinguished readily from damping-oíF with dam.ping-oíT organisms, the ini- of seedlings. tial stands of seedlings are so reduced Heavy fall frosts kill the upper leaves, by fungi that only gappy stands can which become black and water-soaked be left after thinning. and then dry out and turn white. Heavy planting rates were used Growers recognize this condition, even formerly in an attempt to have extra though they might not understand large numbers of seedlings from which the effects of severe freezes and the a fair stand of thinned beets could be reduction in sucrose of the roots that saved. In recent years, to save man- may follow. Low temperatures in late power in singling sugar beets, seeding October or November may kill all rates have been reduced. Destruction leaves. If warmer vveather follows, the of the meager initial stands by black killed foliage is replaced l^y a nev/ root thus causes even greater damage growth at the expense of the food than before. According to factory reserves in the root, thus lowering the records, parts of Michigan and Ohio sucrose percentage. Often a farmer is often have had average stands in their puzzled by sugar tests after a freeze fields considerably below 70 percent— that show a much lower sugar content much too low for profitable growing than the earlier tests. Wherever feasi- of the crop. ble, after tops are severely frozen the In seasons of severe black root, re- harvest should be delayed to permit 512 YEARBOOK OF AGRICULTURE 1953 the foliage to be replaced and the plant When the soil is low in boron, the again to store sugar in the roots.