Commercial sugar beet cultivars evaluated for rhizomania resistance and storability in Idaho, 2017

Authors: Strausbaugh, Carl

Submitted to: Plant Disease Management Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/29/2019
Publication Date: 3/1/2019
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/6542257
Citation: Strausbaugh, C.A. 2019. Commercial sugar beet cultivars evaluated for rhizomania resistance and storability in Idaho, 2017. Plant Disease Management Reports. 13:CF048.

Interpretive Summary: Rhizomania caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) is an important worldwide sugar beet disease problem, which can lead to significant yield loss in the field and can also lead to storage issues. Losses in storage can also be quite significant and important to the viability of the sugar beet industry. The primary means of controlling rhizomania is through host resistance. Thus, 26 commercial sugar beet cultivars were screened to characterize them for both resistance to rhizomania and storage losses. All commercial cultivars had acceptable levels of rhizomania resistance based on root symptoms, but two cultivars had 6% foliar symptoms which is too high to be considered acceptable for commercial production. Sucrose reduction in storage ranged from 25 to 87%, 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, 26 commercial cultivars were screened by growing them in a sugar beet field infested with BNYVV in Kimberly, ID during the 2017 growing season in a randomized complete block design with 6 replications. At harvest on 2-3 October 2017, roots were dug and evaluated for symptoms of rhizomania and also placed in an indoor commercial sugar beet storage building. After 147 days in storage, samples were evaluated for surface rot, weight loss, and sucrose loss. Surface root rot ranged from 10 to 85%, weight loss ranged from 14 to 28%, sucrose losses ranged from 25 to 87%, and estimated recoverable sucrose ranged from 596 to 9,111 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.