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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Kimberly, Idaho » Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #348153
Title: Commercial sugar beet cultivars evaluated for rhizomania resistance and storability in Idaho, 2016

Author
item Strausbaugh, Carl

Submitted to: Plant Disease Management Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/2/2018
Publication Date: 3/12/2018
Citation: Strausbaugh, C.A. 2018. Commercial sugar beet cultivars evaluated for rhizomania resistance and storability in Idaho, 2016. Plant Disease Management Reports. 12:CF004.

Interpretive Summary: Preventing sucrose losses in storage is important to the economic viability of the sugar beet industry. Rhizomania, caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV), is an important viral disease problem worldwide, leading to significant yield loss in both the field and storage. The primary means of controlling these problems is through host resistance. Thus, 22 commercial sugar beet cultivars were screened to characterize them for both resistance to rhizomania and storage losses. All commercial cultivars had acceptable levels of rhizomania resistance based on root symptoms, but one cultivar had too many foliar symptoms to be considered acceptable for commercial production. Sucrose reduction in storage ranged from 23 to 62%, indicating there is considerable room for improving storability with most cultivars. These data will aid the sugar beet industry in improving cultivar performance in the field and storage.

Technical Abstract: Rhizomania caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) and storage losses are serious sugar beet production problems. To identify sugar beet cultivars with resistance to BNYVV and evaluate storability, 22 commercial cultivars were screened by growing them in a sugar beet field infested with BNYVV in Kimberly, ID during the 2016 growing season in a randomized complete block design with 6 replications. At harvest on 4-5 October 2016, roots were dug and evaluated for symptoms of rhizomania and also placed in an indoor commercial sugar beet storage building. After 130 days in storage, samples were evaluated for surface rot, weight loss, and sucrose loss. Surface root rot ranged from 7 to 51%, weight loss ranged from 7.5 to 12.3%, sucrose losses ranged from 23 to 62%, and estimated recoverable sucrose ranged from 2,901 to 10,114 lb/A. Given these response ranges, selecting cultivars for rhizomania resistance and combining this resistance with storability will lead to considerable economic benefit for the sugar beet industry.