Modern types of sugar beet is the fruit of the work of American breeders. In 1747, scientists from America found that white beets contain the same amount of sugar as sugarcane - 1.3%.Now technical hybrid varieties, bred by breeders specifically for the production of sugar, contain more than 20% of the natural substance. Despite the fact that this is a technical culture, people have adapted to use it in food, and as a folk remedy, and as feed for livestock.
Contents
- Feature sugar beet growing
- history
- food or livestock feed
- Features of cultivation and cultivation conditions in Russia
- seeding technology
Harvesting sugar beet Feature
White sugar beet - vegetable crop, two-year root vegetable, usually red variety. In the first year it forms a large, oblong, dense, fleshy root crop and a powerful socket of large leaves in the ground part.
This is the most important sugar-bearing crop, which grows on a huge area of cultivated land. The level of sucrose ranges from 8-10 to 20%
and directly depends on the climatic conditions of the growing region, agronomic conditions, since the culture requires a lot of heat, moisture, and sunlight.Especially a lot of solar heat is necessary for a vegetable during the ripening period of the root crop - from August to the end of October, .It is during this period that sugar accumulates in it.
Beet pulp The following is produced from industrial waste:
- pulp - waste in the form of chopped beets, used as feed for cattle, pigs;
- syrup - used in the food industry for the production of yeast, citric acid, glycerin, organic acids and alcohol;
- defecate ( or defecation mud) - lime fertilizer for plants.
In addition, produces ethanol , which is necessary in gasoline production technology, from sugar vegetables.
Growth history
The production of sugar from beets began in the 19th century in central Europe( New Silesia), where the plant's homeland is located, and was rapidly spreading. In the first half of the 19th century, beets were planted and grown already in the territory of modern Russia and Ukraine.
The presence of fertile chernozem soils and warm climate determines the cultivation areas of the crop: Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, chernozem regions of southern Russia, and also countries of southern and central Europe.
Sugar beets are cultivated on fertile and black earth soils in a warm climate. For 2014, the leaders in growing crops and producing sugar from it are:
- France - about 40 million tons;
- Russia - slightly more than 30 million tons;
- Germany - 30 million tons;
- USA - 28.5 million tons;
- Ukraine - 16 million tons;
- Poland - 14 million tons.
Food or livestock feed
Of course, first of all, this crop is technical, but the roots are good forage for pig breeding and cattle breeding .
Plant and rhizomes have almost the same nutritional value: 100 kg of beets contain 25 feed units( it is considered that 1 feed unit equals 1 kg of oats nutritionally) and 1.2 kg of healthy protein, and 100 kg of green tops - 22 feed units and 2.2 kgprotein.
At the same time, at the time of the harvest, the weight of leaves and root crops is approximately 1: 2 .The share of foliage can be from 40 to 60% by weight of the vegetable.
The ratio of the mass of tops and root crops is about 1 to 2 But besides this, is often used in dietary food and traditional medicine .The plant has a rich vitamin and mineral composition: iodine, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, calcium, vitamins of group B, PP, C, betadine, pectins.
This product enhances immunity, hemoglobin, has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, improves the digestive system, removes toxic substances from the body.
vegetable has contraindications for use in kidney disease, diabetes, and obesity due to its high sucrose content.
Cultivation features and cultivation conditions in Russia
Cultivation and planting of sugar beet is a very laborious process, requiring exact observance of all terms and agricultural practices.
Sowing technology
The soil is plowed in the fall, to a depth of 30 cm, after making a full set of fertilizers. In the spring before sowing the soil is harrowed, cultivated and leveled.
Seeds of sugar beet Sow the seeds at an air temperature 8-10 degrees heat to a depth of 5 cm .5 days after sowing, pre-emergence harrowing is carried out to destroy weeds and loosen the soil.
Shoots appear as early as 8-10 days after sowing. The first loosening of the soil is carried out after the appearance of the first true leaves to a depth of 5-7 cm.
The next step is thinning of seedlings ( bouquet).This is the most difficult, time-consuming, but important process, after which the strongest and strongest beetroot remains on the field.
Subsequent maintenance of the crop consists in loosening the soil between the rows and abundant irrigation of up to 4-5 times a month .Watering is stopped in the second half of September, 7-10 days before the harvest.
Harvesting
. Sugar beet harvesting is done from late September to mid-October. Green leaves are not able to persist for a long time, so the culture collected is immediately sent to the processing plants .It starts the process of obtaining sugar from rhizomes, and tops are processed for feed.
It is obvious that the whole cycle of growing and processing vegetables is quite laborious and costly. Even in spite of the fact that the productivity of this crop is 100%, it is rather difficult for producers to achieve good profitability both from crops and from processing enterprises.
Nevertheless, sugar remains a very popular everyday food product, and its production is quite a reasonable and absolute necessity.
