Sugar Beet Nutrition

The amounts of fertiliser now being used in Great Britain for the sugar-beet crop are reported, together with trends in usage during recent years. Experimental work on fertiliser requirement of sugar-beet at Broom’s Barn and on commercial farms is reviewed. When the experimental results are compared with present fertiliser usage, it is clear that there is much scope for improvement in fertiliser practice. Whereas too much nitrogen and phosphorus are applied for maximum profitability, too little sodium is used and this is greatly decreasing profit. Responses to magnesium and to trace elements are also discussed in relation to deficiency symptoms on sugar-beet crops. Ten years ago the loss from shortage of magnesium was considerable but now the use of magnesium fertilisers has greatly decreased the incidence of severe deficiency. The report concludes with optimum dressings of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and magnesium based on soil type, previous cropping and soil analysis.