Research Report-Multi Year Sugarbeet Trial Results

Greg Clark, Field Researcher, QLF Agronomy

Four sugarbeet trials were established from 2017 to 2020 in Michigan.  The majority of sugarbeet production in Michigan is located in the Thumb and Saginaw Valley areas. Michigan is the No. four producer of sugarbeets in the country.

The 2018 and 2019 trials were established at the Saginaw Valley Research and Extension Center, 4 miles north of Frankenmuth, Michigan and were conducted by Michigan State University Extension.  The 2019 and 2020 sugarbeet trials were constituted near Brown City, Michigan as an on-farm study and the trials were overseen by Sugarbeet Advancement [MSU Extension].  All four trials were managed to evaluate if Liquid-Carbon Based Fertilizer [L-CBF] products used as a T-Band application with Quadris™ alleviated the effects of Rhizoctonia solani on the sugarbeet’s taproot [fibrous root system].

The 2017 and 2018 trials managed by Michigan State University Extension concluded that treatments containing L-CBF had a lower disease pressure and had a greater plant stand counts in May/June [Tables 1 and 2] and continued that trend throughout the growing season up to harvest without causing any negative effects on RWST, RWSA, Yield, Sucrose [%], CJP [%], and ROI.  This verified that L-CBF treatments assisted with improving root health at the early sugarbeet stages with applications of Quadris™ while maintaining acceptable measurable harvest variables.

Sugarbeet Advancement [SBA] conducted a similar trial in 2019 and 2020 [Table 3].  SBA noted that soil-borne diseases were relatively low in 2019 and 2020.  However, it is plausible that treatments containing L-CBF under heavier disease pressure could see a greater impact on sugarbeet’s root health.  This justification was observed with greater plant stand counts at nineteen days after planting [DAP] and again at forty-three DAP [average DAP between 2019 and 2020]. The results also demonstrated that other measurable harvest variables with treatments containing L-CBF had no negative effects on sugarbeets.

Source: Quality Liquid Feeds News Release