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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Kimberly, Idaho » Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #212788
Title: Influence of beet necrotic yellow vein virus on sugar beet storability

Author
item Strausbaugh, Carl
item REARICK, EUGENE - AMALGAMATED RESEARCH, INC
item CAMP, STACEY - AMALGAMATED SUGAR CO.
item GALLIAN, JOHN - UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
item DYER, ALAN - MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/7/2007
Publication Date: 3/10/2008
Citation: Strausbaugh, C.A., Rearick, E., Camp, S., Gallian, J.J., Dyer, A.T. 2008. Influence of beet necrotic yellow vein virus on sugar beet storability. Plant Disease. 92:581-587.

Interpretive Summary: Preventing sugar losses in long-term storage and rhizomania in the field is important to the economic viability of the sugar beet industry. Rhizomania, caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV), is an important viral disease problem worldwide. The primary means of controlling this disease is through host resistance. However, strains of BNYVV that overcome resistance are present in all major production areas in the United States. Rhizomania can lead to significant yield losses in the field but also the loss of sugar (21 to 68% averaged across cultivars) in long-term storage. BNYVV also increased the amount of frozen and rotted root area and at times an increased reduction in root weight in storage. These data show that selecting cultivars for resistance to BNYVV and storability to reduce sugar loss will potentially save the sugar beet industry millions of dollars.

Technical Abstract: Rhizomania caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) and storage losses are serious sugar beet production problems. To investigate the influence of BNYVV on storability, six sugar beet cultivars varying for resistance to BNYVV were grown in 2005 and 2006 in southern Idaho fields with and without BNYVV infested soil. At harvest, samples from each cultivar were placed in an outdoor pile as a randomized complete block design with 4 reps in Twin Falls, ID and were removed on 40-day intervals starting the end of October. After 134 and 130 days in storage, sugar reduction across cultivars averaged 20 and 13% without and 68 and 21% with BNYVV for the 2005 and 2006 roots, respectively. In the December samplings, frozen root area was 1 and 2% without and 25 and 41% with BNYVV for the 2005 and 2006 roots, respectively. Root rot was always worse with stored roots from BYNVV infested soil in December, January, and February samplings. Root weight loss was variable in 2005 beets but with 2006 beets an increase in weight reduction was always associated with BNYVV infested roots. To reduce sugar loss in long-term storage, cultivar choice in rhizomania infested areas will potentially be important.