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Biology and physiology of the sugar-beet plant

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The Sugar Beet Crop

Part of the book series: World Crop Series ((WOCS))

Abstract

Beta vulgaris is a member of the Chenopodiaceae and, like many others in the family is a halophyte. It is a highly variable species containing four main groups of agricultural significance: leaf beets (such as Swiss chard), garden beets (such as beetroot), fodder beets (including mangolds) and sugar beet. These are described in detail in Chapter 1. All groups have a diploid chromosome number of 18, although most current European sugar-beet varieties are triploid hybrids of diploid, male-sterile females and tetraploid pollinators (see Chapter 3). The storage organ of the sugar-beet plant is usually called the root, although only about 90% is actually root-derived, the upper 10% (the crown) being derived from the hypocotyl (Fig. 2.1). Selective breeding and improved agricultural practices have increased the fresh weight concentration of sucrose in the sugar-beet root to around 18%, and the dry weight concentration of sucrose to around 75%.

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Authors
  1. M. C. Elliott
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  2. G. D. Weston
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Broom’s Barn Experimental Station, Higham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 6NP, UK

    D. A. Cooke

  2. Department of Agriculture & Horticulture, School of Agriculture, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough, Leicester, LE12 5RD, UK

    R. K. Scott

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Elliott, M.C., Weston, G.D. (1993). Biology and physiology of the sugar-beet plant. In: Cooke, D.A., Scott, R.K. (eds) The Sugar Beet Crop. World Crop Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0373-9_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0373-9_2

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