Effect of Bed Width and Hill Spacing on Yield and Quality of Sugar Beet under Newly Reclaimed Soils

This work aims to investigate the effect of bed width and hill spacing on growth, productivity and quality traits of sugar beet. In order to achieve such a purpose two field experiments were conducted at two successive seasons (2012/2013 and 2013/2014) in Nubaria Research Station, EL-Behera Governorate, Egypt to study the effect of three bed width (80,100 and 120 cm) and three hill spacing (15, 20 and 25 cm) on growth, yield and quality traits of sugar beet, (Kawamera variety). The obtained results indicated that bed width and hill spacing had a significant effect on number of extractable roots/fed, root length and diameter, quality traits of sugar beet, (sucrose%, sugar recovery%, quality index, potassium, sodium and α-N contents as mill equivalent/100 gm beet) and root and recoverable sugar yields /fed. It can be concluded that, bed width 80 cm with hill spacing 20 cm achieved the highest values of root andrecoverable sugar yields (33.280 and 4.699 ton/fed, respectively). Sugar beet (Kawamera variety) grown in row ridges or beds systems gave the highest values of root length and diameter, root weight, sucrose% and quality index as well as root and recoverable sugar yields/fed. Suchresults may be due to decrease plant stand and in turn decreased the competition between sugar beet plants and availed more light, nutrients and water which encouraged the vegetative growth and consequently, resulted big roots, which may be with higher moisture content. These results reflect the negative correlation between root size and gross sugar content. In addition, the results showed that, the impurities (K, Na and α-amino N contents) decreased with increasing plant density (bed width and hill spacing).