Abstract
From 2012 to 2014, agronomists with Amalgamated Sugar Company compared different plant populations and planting times and the effects on sugar beet yield and quality. Plant populations ranged from 55 to 255 beets per 100 ft of row in 40 beet increments; however, to assess the economic impact of different stand counts, the spread was too wide. In 2024, a study with populations ranging from 65, 70, 75, 80, 95 and 150 beets per 100 ft was initiated to provide further granularity. Plots were established by overseeding and thinning to a prescribed stand. Four-row plots were planted April 3, 2024, and the study area was managed according to standard grower practices and irrigated using drip-irrigation to maximize uniformity. On October 4, plots were harvested using a two-row harvester and two 25 lbs samples were for quality analysis.
Significant differences were only observed for estimated recoverable sucrose (lbs/A) between lowest (65 beets / 100 ft) and highest (150 beets / 100 ft) stands. However, as expected there were numerical differences between treatments for tons per acre.