A quality job of defoliating and scalping will result in benefits for both the grower and the company.

1. Lower conductivity.
2. Increased sugar %.
3. Fewer damaged or knocked out beets = more tons delivered.
4. Cleaner beets = greater return for your hauling dollar.
5. Shorter lines at the receiving station - open piler gate.

1-3. Fewer impurities, higher extraction rate, less sucrose lost to molasses, lower factory operating costs.
4. Cleaner piles, faster cooling of piles, less regrowth in the pile, fewer hot spots, and lower respiration rate, which will result in less sugar loss to storage.
5. Lower receiving costs.

1. Removal of all leaves and petioles from the crowns, depositing them in the corrugate, leaving the beet row clean so the tops don’t interfere with the scalpers by plugging the knives or get loaded into the truck by the harvester.

2. Scalp beets to remove upper crown growth point while avoiding excessive wounding of the upper root area and dislodging the beet from the beet row.

How well are we doing? Most are doing quite well, but there is still room for considerable improvement.

1. Excessive ground speed.
2. Incorrect flail type and configuration.
3. Flail tips too high off the ground.
4. Beet spacing too close. Small beets sheltered by larger beets.
5. Crown height too low. Beet crowns at or below soil surface.

1. Excessive ground speed.
2. Scalper knives plugged with beet leaves.
3. Small beets sheltered by larger beets.
4. Crown height too low.

1. Excessive ground speed.
2. Incorrect flail type and configuration.
3. Flail tips too high off the ground.

1. Excessive ground speed.
2. Dull scalper knives or discs.
3. PTO speed too fast. Slow it down so beets are not being hit as hard by the flails.

1. Excessive ground speed.
2. Incorrect flail type and configuration.
3. Defoliator not severe enough. May need to use stubble shredder ahead of defoliator.

How do we overcome these problems? I once heard someone say, "Pay attention to the details and the rest will follow." Here are some details for us to consider.

Under prefrost conditions, defoliators with all rubber flails, or studded or steel flails on the front drum followed by rubber flails on the middle and rear drums had higher sucrose content, lower impurities and significantly higher recoverable sucrose per ton than other flail configurations.

Following two nights of 13° F in 1989 and three nights of 17° F in 1990, the all rubber flail configuration was significantly inferior to the configurations with studded flails or steel flails on the front drum.

2nd Detail: Proper maintenance of the defoliator and scalper units

A. Replace worn or damaged flails before starting and as needed during harvest.
B. Sharpen scalper knives or discs and keep them sharp; sharpen every day if necessary.
C. Make sure defoliator and scalpers are centered over the beet row.
D. Properly adjust knives or discs to cut flat across top of beet, not at an angle.  Set knife or disc depth to cut the crown growth point.

3rd Detail: Field adjustments for different field conditions

The adjustment of these three as needed to match varying field conditions will result in a quality job of defoliation.

A. Ground speed.
B. PTO speed of the defoliator.
C. Flail height above the beet row.
 

Shade from the beet leaves helps to maintain cooler root temperatures. Root temperatures at harvest should be 45° or less to minimize respiration. Beating too far ahead of the harvester is detrimental to beet storage quality because it exposes the roots and soil to solar radiation, allowing them to absorb heat.

The beet-leaf canopy provides protection from frost and freezing of the roots before digging. Beating too far ahead exposes the root to freezing. Frozen beets should be allowed to thaw before digging.

In 1999 we conducted a split beet study to determine the effect of crowning vs. not crowning sugarbeets. The results are summarized in Table 3.

In this study the average reduction in conductivity was 0.07. This lower conductivity would increase ERS about 1%. An increase of 1% x 8500 lb ERS = 85 lb additional sugar per acre. Sugar content increased by an average of 0.37%, which would result in an additional $1.12 per ton.

In closing I’d just like to remind you that the harvest process is the last chance you’ll have to make any difference in the quality of crop you’ll be paid for. So, take the time to "pay attention to the details so the rest can follow."

______________________________

Presented at the Snake River Sugarbeet Conference, Twin Falls, Idaho, January 13 and 14, 2000.

Howard Binford, Fieldman, The Amalgamated Sugar Company, PO Box 1766, Nyssa, Oregon 97913-0266.

Del Traveller, Manager of Agricultural Services, The Amalgamated Sugar Company, P.O. Box 127, Twin Falls, Idaho 83303-0127, Phone: (208) 733-4104.