Root yield and quality of sugarbeet hybrids with pollinators selected for sodium, potassium, or amino-nitrogen concentration

Authors: Campbell, Larry; Fugate, Karen

Submitted to: Journal of Sugar Beet Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/28/2016
Publication Date: 5/1/2018
Citation: Campbell, L.G., Fugate, K.K. 2018. Root yield and quality of sugarbeet hybrids with pollinators selected for sodium, potassium, or amino-nitrogen concentration. Journal of Sugar Beet Research. (1-2): 3-18.

Interpretive Summary: Some naturally occurring constituents of sugarbeet roots, collectively referred to as impurities, impede sucrose extraction during normal factory operations. Each pound of these impurities prevents the crystallization of 1.5 to 1.8 pounds of sucrose that is lost to molasses. Impurities of particular concern include sodium, potassium, and amino-nitrogen. Lines selected specifically for low or high concentration of a single impurity component were crossed as pollinators with a common cytoplasmic-male-sterile line to determine their impact on the concentration of sodium, potassium, amino-nitrogen, sucrose, recoverable sucrose, and invert sugar, and root yield in the resulting hybrids. The relatively low sodium and potassium concentration of hybrids with low-sodium and low-potassium pollinators, respectively, indicated that pollinators with relatively low sodium or potassium concentration can substantially reduce the sodium or potassium concentration of a hybrid without significant changes in the other two impurity components. Roots of hybrids with pollinators selected for high amino-nitrogen concentration had higher amino-nitrogen concentrations than hybrids with pollinators selected for low amino-nitrogen concentration and hybrids with their respective parental populations as pollinators. However, the difference between the reduced amino-nitrogen concentration observed for hybrids with pollinators selected for low amino-nitrogen concentration and the amino-nitrogen concentration of hybrids with the corresponding parental population as a pollinator was not significant. In general, altering only one of the impurity components resulted in only small changes in root yield, sucrose concentration, or loss-to-molasses.

Technical Abstract: Sodium, potassium, and amino-nitrogen, collectively referred to as impurities, are natural constituents of sugarbeet that impede sucrose extraction during factory operations. Lines selected specifically for low or high concentration of a single impurity component were crossed as pollinators with a common cytoplasmic-male-sterile line to determine their impact on the concentration of sodium, potassium, amino-nitrogen, sucrose, recoverable sucrose, and invert sugar, and root yield in the resulting hybrids. The relatively low sodium and potassium concentration of hybrids with low-sodium and low-potassium pollinators, respectively, indicated that pollinators with relatively low sodium or potassium concentration can substantially reduce the sodium or potassium concentration of a hybrid without significant changes in the other two impurity components. Roots of hybrids with pollinators selected for high amino-nitrogen concentration had higher amino-nitrogen concentrations than hybrids with pollinators selected for low amino-nitrogen concentration and hybrids with their respective parental populations as pollinators. However, the difference between the reduced amino-nitrogen concentration observed for hybrids with pollinators selected for low amino-nitrogen concentration and the amino-nitrogen concentration of hybrids with the corresponding parental population as a pollinator was not significant. In general, altering only one of the impurity components resulted in only small changes in root yield, sucrose concentration, or loss-to-molasses.