The Amalgamated Sugar Company LLC and the University of Idaho Sugarbeet Variety Performance Tests, 2002.  Stacey Camp and Paul Foote, Amalgamated Sugar Co. and John J. Gallian and Dixie Vargas, University of Idaho, Twin Falls Research and Extension Center.

This report contains the results of the Amalgamated Sugar Company’s standard commercial and experimental sugarbeet variety trials, commercial sugarbeet variety emergence test, and the University of Idaho’s Rhizomania variety trial.  The individual standard commercial and experimental sugarbeet variety trials conducted at the Malheur Experiment Station are included here courtesy of Clinton Shock and Eric Eldredge, Oregon State University.

The Amalgamated Sugar Company standard variety trial program followed the established practice of planting at three locations and then selecting the best two locations to harvest for data.  Entries into the standard variety trials are coordinated with Oregon State University and data for commercial varieties are combined from the two Idaho locations and the Oregon location each year and across two years. All variety test data are distributed to growers as a resource for choosing varieties to plant.

In accordance with the Snake River Sugarbeet Research and Seed Committee variety approval policy, the standard variety trial data from each location, including the Oregon State University location, are used for calculating minimum variety standards. The variety testing data and variety approval calculations are made available to and used by the Seed Committee to determine varieties to be approved for sale in the Idaho, Oregon and Washington sugarbeet growing areas that deliver to the Amalgamated Sugar Company.

Standard Variety Trials (Tables 1-11)

Standard variety trials were planted in growers’ fields in Jerome County and Minidoka County, and at the University of Idaho Research and Extension Center, Aberdeen.  The trials in Jerome County and at Aberdeen were chosen for harvest. Both tests were sprinkler irrigated, using wheel lines in the Jerome County test and solid set lines at Aberdeen. All varieties were entered into the curly top nursery in Twin Falls, Idaho, operated by the Beet Sugar Development Foundation (BSDF) and were rated for resistance to curly top virus disease.

At each location, 27 commercial and 26 experimental varieties were planted in separate tests, which included 4 of the commercial varieties as checks in the experimental tests. Experimental design was a randomized complete block with 8 replications.  Plots were 4 rows wide (22 inch row spacing) by 25 ft long at Aberdeen and 35 ft long at Jerome, with a 5 ft alley separating each tier. Plots were seeded with a cone planter at a rate of 8 seeds/ft of row on 24 April at Aberdeen and 25 April at Jerome, and hand thinned to an 8 inch average spacing at the 2-4 leaf stage.  The cultural practices used for these trials are listed in a table at the end of the report.

Immediately prior to harvest, all plots were individually evaluated for bolting and uniformity, and plots showing non-treatment effects were noted and dropped from the analyses. Plants were machine topped and the two center rows of each plot were machine harvested 7-8 October in Aberdeen and 17-18 October in Jerome, using a 2-row Farmhand 808 harvester modified for research. Roots were weighed and 2 sugar samples per plot with a minimum of eight roots each were analyzed for percent sugar, conductivity, and nitrates at the Amalgamated Sugar Company tare laboratory at Paul, Idaho. The data were analyzed separately for each of the tests using least-squares means analysis of SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC. The commercial variety tests were combined with the Oregon State University Malheur Experiment Station data and analyzed across three locations for 2002 and 6 locations for 2001 and 2002.

Rhizomania Variety Trial (Table 12)

Rhizomania resistant varieties adapted to the Idaho-eastern Oregon growing area were tested at the College of Southern Idaho Ag Endowment Farm at Twin Falls on a field leased by the Snake River Sugarbeet Research and Seed Commitee for rhizomania research.  The field had been inoculated with rhizomania and sugarbeets were grown in 2000 to establish the disease.  In March, 2001, six inches of soil was removed, mixed, spread and leveled to uniformly distribute the disease inoculum.  The field was chiseled then roller harrowed twice and planted to barley. In the fall of 2001 the ground was plowed and this spring it was fertilized, disked, and roller harrowed. Twenty seven varieties plus 4 susceptible commercial check varieties were planted with a cone planter at a rate of 8 seeds/ft of row on 22 April.  Experimental design was a randomized complete block with 8 replications.  Plots were 4 rows wide (22 inch row spacing) by 25 ft long with a 5 ft alley separating each tier.  Plots were sprinkler irrigated with hand lines.  Plants were thinned to an 8 inch average spacing at the 2-4 leaf stage. Progress was broadcast applied on 17 May, 24 May, and 31 May at the rate of 1.13, 1.5 and 2.0 pints/acre, respectively.  Assure was broadcast applied on 19 June at 8 oz/acre.  All varieties were entered into the curly top nursery in Twin Falls, Idaho, operated by the Beet Sugar Development Foundation (BSDF) and were rated for resistance to curly top virus disease.

The trial was harvested on September 24-25 using the same procedures as in the standard variety trials, except that one tare sample was taken per plot and yield data were adjusted according to the tare values. Disease was uniform and moderate throughout the test, and all plots of susceptible check varieties showed clear symptoms of rhizomania.  Average root yield per acre of the 9 highest performing varieties was 10.71 tons greater than the average of the susceptible check varieties.  The average estimated recoverable sugar for the top 8 varieties was 2987 lbs per acre higher than the average of the susceptible check varieties.

Emergence Test (Table 13)

The purpose of the emergence test is to compare the emergence rates of commercial varieties under actual field conditions. These data may then be used by growers, along with the variety performance information, to aid in choosing varieties. All commercial varieties entered into the standard and rhizomania variety tests were included in the emergence test using seed from the same lots.

Due to a hard freeze on May 7 - 8, only partial data from one of the locations is valid and will be reported here.  The Aberdeen test was planted along the east side of the experimental variety trial and therefore the cultural practices were the same as for the standard variety trials.  Experimental design was a randomized complete block with 4 replications.  Plots were single row, 25 ft long, with 100 seeds planted per plot.  Seed was planted one inch deep using a research cone planter with Milton disk openers on 24 May.  Emergence counts were started when the first seedlings were observed and stopped after the second counts were made on the morning of 8 May when it became apparent that the study was hit hard by the freeze. No yield data was taken on the emergence test.

The percent of doubles for each variety in the emergence test was determined from laboratory germination tests using seed from the same seed lots.  Data are the means of three replications of 100 seeds each.  Percent doubles were calculated as follows:

% doubles = [(# doubles) / (total # seed germinated)] x 100.

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Acknowledgements:   We would like to thank the staff at the Aberdeen Research and Extension Center, Dean Bingham in Jerome County, and Paul Duncan in Minidoka County for their cooperation in conducting the variety trials.

2002 Variety Trials

The tables below are in PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader to access them.  If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader you can go to www.adobe.com/products/acrobat and download a free copy of the software.

            ·  Commercials - Aberdeen, Idaho

            ·  Commercials - Jerome, Idaho

            ·  Commercials - Ontario, Oregon

            ·  Commercials - Three Location Summary

            ·  Commercials - 2002-2002 Six Location Summary

            ·  Commercials - 2001-2002 Aberdeen Summary

            ·  Commercials - 2001-2002 Jerome Summary

            ·  Commercials 2002-2002 Ontario Summary

            ·  Experimentals - Aberdeen, Idaho

            ·  Experimentals - Jerome, Idaho

            ·  Experimentals - Ontario, Oregon

            ·  Rhizomania - Twin Falls, Idaho

            ·  Emergence - Aberdeen, Idaho