The well-known and reliable varieties of Enermax and Magnum will take up approximately 60% of the beet area this season.

New to the market are two Conviso sugar beet varieties – Smart Sanya and Smart Breanna – as well as a conventional high dry matter fodder beet – Delicante. All three are white varieties.

According to Goldcrop trials, Smart Sanya has a rating of 95 for relative root fresh yield, while Smart Breanna has a rating of 92. This compares with Enermax and Magnum with ratings of 100 and 94, respectively.

The smart beet varieties have the second and third highest dry matter percentages on the Goldcrop list after Alisha, a sugar beet. Sanya has a dry matter (DM) percentage of 22.4, while Breanna has a DM percentage of 22.2.

Looking at DLF’s trial data, the new variety Delicante has a DM percentage of 17.9%, compared with Magnum at 19.6% and Enermax at 18.4%.

The DLF data had Delicante’s relative yield score at 100, compared to Magnum at 106 and Enermax at 98.

A full list of data on the varieties available this season can be seen in Tables 1 and 2.

Farmers thinking of growing beet should ensure the soil temperature is over 5°C. Crops are generally planted at 100,000 to 110,000 seeds/ha.