Sugar beet is having a hard time
Drought, crust formation and waterlogging
Those who tour the Netherlands will come across an enormous variety of sugar beet crops. There are beautiful plots in the center and north of the country, but there are also beets that suffer from a thick crust or waterlogging. As a result, the oversowing area increases.
Last week we already wrote that the sowing date in the Netherlands differs by 2 weeks. The late sown beets on the southwestern clay soils have to do with crust formation. This is also sometimes a problem elsewhere in the Netherlands. An additional fact is the drought in the southwest, which also makes the emergence more difficult.
Flooding
According to Suiker Unie has several plots with 50.000 plants or less. Rain is welcome so that the beet seed can germinate. In the northeast of the country, some beet growers have flooding suffered after 30 to 85 millimeters of water fell in a very short time. This leads to a problem, especially in low-lying parts of the plot.
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overseeding
The Beet Statistics calculates that 450 hectares have now been sown. Last year that was a total of 300 hectares. However, it is not uncommon. In 2015 and 2013, a relatively large area of 1.800 and 2.300 hectares was sown. Frost damage is often the culprit. This year those problems are not too bad.
The status of the beets is variable. This crop in Flevoland is growing well.
Niels van der Boom
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