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ARS Home » Midwest Area » East Lansing, Michigan » Sugarbeet and Bean Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #179785
Title: SUGAR BEET ACTIVITIES OF THE USDA-ARS EAST LANSING CONDUCTED IN COOPERATION WITH SAGINAW VALLEY BEAN AND BEET FARM DURING 2004.

Author
item McGrath, Jon
item Duckert, Timothy
item Koppin, Teresa
item TREBBI, DANIELE - MICHIGAN ST UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Annual Beet Sugar Development Foundation Research Report
Publication Type: Research Notes
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/6/2005
Publication Date: 6/1/2005
Citation: McGrath, J.M., Duckert, T.M., Koppin, T.K., Trebbi, D. 2005. Sugar beet activities of the USDA-ARS East Lansing conducted in cooperation with Saginaw Valley Bean and Beet Farm during 2004. 2004 Annual Beet Sugar Development Foundation Research Report. p. D3-D5 and D35-D38.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Evaluation plots were planted at the Saginaw Valley Bean and Beet Research Farm in 2004; three agronomic and two disease nursery trials. All seed planted was untreated to maximize stand and seedling vigor traits inherent in the breeding germplasm. One test was conducted to evaluate first generation populations derived from field increases of (1) high sucrose, smooth-root materials (SR96 & SR97) inter-pollinated with EL0204, (2) experimental hybrids of SR94 and SR97 from CMS crossing blocks in Oregon, (3) inter-pollinated populations derived from viable long-term seed stored at East Lansing since 1985, (4) smooth-root germplasm with two cycles of selection from the Rhizoctonia nursery in East Lansing, (5) Cercospora resistant reselections of EL50 performed in the 2003 Cercospora nursery at the Bean and Beet farm, (6) seed selected from very long term seed storage at East Lansing (pre-1970), and (7) an over-wintered field crossing block at East Lansing; along with check entries. Water content (as a proportion of total root weight) was included in the analyses for the first time this year, and did not vary greatly among any germplasm, however differences are highly precise and robust. Noteworthy is that the commercial germplasms had at least 1% reduced water content relative to all experimental lines and checks. The significance of this observation is not yet entirely clear, but higher dry matter (DM) content appears to be a character amenable to selection, and does a higher ratio of sucrose as a proportion of DM (Suc/DM). Suc/DM also appears to vary among these populations, suggesting selecting for this criterion could result in further genetic gains.