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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Kimberly, Idaho » Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #370460
Research Project: Development of Elite Sugar Beet Germplasm Enhanced for Disease Resistance and Novel Disease Management Options for Improved Yield

Location: Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research

Title: Experimental sugar beet cultivars evaluated for rhizomania resistance and storability in Idaho, 2018

Author
item Strausbaugh, Carl

Submitted to: Plant Disease Management Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/26/2020
Publication Date: 3/9/2020
Citation: Strausbaugh, C.A. 2020. Experimental sugar beet cultivars evaluated for rhizomania resistance and storability in Idaho, 2018. Plant Disease Management Reports. 14:CF044.

Interpretive Summary: Rhizomania caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) is an important worldwide sugar beet disease problem, which can lead to significant yield loss in the field and also losses in storage. Losses in storage can also be quite significant and important to the viability of the sugar beet industry. The primary means of controlling rhizomania is through host resistance. Thus, 12 experimental sugar beet cultivars were screened to characterize them for both resistance to rhizomania and storage losses. All experimental cultivars had acceptable levels of rhizomania resistance based on foliar symptoms, but one cultivar was significantly worse than most other cultivars for root symptoms. Sucrose reduction in storage ranged from 50 to 82%, 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, 12 experimental cultivars were screened by growing them in a sugar beet field infested with BNYVV in Kimberly, ID during the 2018 growing season in a randomized complete block design with 6 replications. At harvest on 26-27 September 2018, roots were dug and evaluated for symptoms of rhizomania and also placed in an indoor commercial sugar beet storage building. After 136 days in storage, samples were evaluated for surface rot, weight loss, and sucrose loss. Surface root rot ranged from 22 to 79%, weight loss ranged from 22 to 32%, sucrose losses ranged from 50 to 82%, and estimated recoverable sucrose ranged from 803 to 6,246 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.