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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Kimberly, Idaho » Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #380252
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, 2019

Author
item Strausbaugh, Carl

Submitted to: Plant Disease Management Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/7/2021
Publication Date: 3/9/2021
Citation: Strausbaugh, C.A. 2021. Experimental sugar beet cultivars evaluated for rhizomania resistance and storability in Idaho, 2019. Plant Disease Management Reports. 15:V016.

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 can also lead to storage issues. 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, 7 experimental sugar beet cultivars were screened to characterize them for both resistance to rhizomania and storage losses. All cultivars exhibited rhizomania resistance based on foliar and root symptoms. Sucrose reduction in storage ranged from 28 to 57%, 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, 7 experimental cultivars were screened by growing them in a sugar beet field infested with BNYVV in Kimberly, ID during the 2019 growing season in a randomized complete block design with 6 replications. At harvest on 7-8 October 2019, roots were dug and evaluated for symptoms of rhizomania and also placed in an indoor commercial sugar beet storage building. After 145 days in storage, samples were evaluated for surface rot, weight loss, and sucrose loss. Surface root rot ranged from 14 to 48%, weight loss ranged from 13 to 25%, sucrose losses ranged from 28 to 57%, and estimated recoverable sucrose ranged from 2,442 to 9,002 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.