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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Kimberly, Idaho » Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #328995
Title: Experimental sugar beet cultivars evaluated for rhizomania resistance and storability in Idaho, 2015

Author
item Strausbaugh, Carl
item WAMBOLT, CAROL - Amalgamated Research Inc

Submitted to: Plant Disease Management Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/10/2016
Publication Date: 9/5/2016
Citation: Strausbaugh, C.A., Wambolt, C. 2016. Experimental sugar beet cultivars evaluated for rhizomania resistance and storability in Idaho, 2015. Plant Disease Management Reports. 10:FC186.

Interpretive Summary: Preventing sucrose losses in storage 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, leading to significant yield loss in both the field and storage. The primary means of controlling these problems is through host resistance. Thus, commercial sugar beet cultivars were screened to characterize them for both resistance to rhizomania and storability. All commercial cultivars had acceptable levels of rhizomania resistance based on both foliar and root symptoms. Sucrose reduction in storage ranged from 25 to 89%, indicating there is considerable room for improving storability with most cultivars. These data will aid the sugar beet industry in improving cultivar performance in the field and storage.

Technical Abstract: Rhizomania caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) and storage losses are serious sugar beet production problems. To identify sugar beet cultivars with resistance to BNYVV and evaluate storability, 32 commercial cultivars were screened by growing them in a sugar beet field infested with BNYVV in Kimberly, ID during the 2015 growing season in a randomized complete block design with 6 replications. At harvest on 28-29 September 2015, roots were dug and evaluated for symptoms of rhizomania and also placed in an indoor commercial sugar beet storage building. After 136 days in storage, samples were evaluated for surface rot, weight loss, and sucrose loss. Surface root rot ranged from 8 to 81%, weight loss ranged from 8.0 to 21.0%, sucrose losses ranged from 25 to 89%, and estimated recoverable sucrose ranged from 439 to 8,261 lb/A. Given these response ranges, selecting cultivars for rhizomania resistance and combining this resistance with storability will lead to considerable economic benefit for the sugar beet industry.