The yield of sugar beet has continuously increased in the past decades. The question arises, whether this progress will continue in the future. A key factor for increasing yield potential of the crop is breeding progress. It was related to a shift in assimilate partitioning in the plant toward more storage carbohydrates (sucrose), whereas structural carbohydrates (leaves, cell wall compounds) u...

Several physiological processes were studied during sugar beet root development to determine the cellular events that are temporally correlated with sucrose storage. The prestorage stage was characterized by a marked increase in root fresh weight and a low sucrose to glucose ratio. Carbon derived from (14)C-sucrose accumulation was partitioned into protein and structural carbohydrate fractions ...

The species Beta vulgaris encompasses wild and cultivated members with a broad range of phenological development. The annual life cycle is commonly found in sea beets (ssp. maritima) from Mediterranean environments which germinate, bolt, and flower within one season under long day conditions. Biennials such as the cultivated sugar beet (B. vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) as well as sea beets from north...

Powdery mildew of sugar beet, a disease of major economic significance, was first described at the beginning of the 20th century, and since then there has been some confusion over the correct taxonomic identity of the causal agent. In Europe, the fungus was initially classified as the novel species Microsphaera betae, later re-named Erysiphe betae, whilst in America it was identified as E. poly...

The current study aimed to evaluate the variation in fermentation activity along the distal canine gastrointestinal tract (GIT, Exp. 1). It also aimed to assess fermentation kinetics and end product profiles of 16 dietary fibers for dog foods using canine fecal inoculum (Exp. 2). For Exp. 1, digesta were collected from the distal ileum, proximal colon, transverse colon, and rectum of 3 adult do...

The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hubner), has recently become a persistent and explosive pest of cotton in the southeastern United States. It is, however, attacked by a large and diverse complex of beneficial arthropods and pathogens that appear capable of maintaining beet armyworm populations below economically-damaging levels. Disruption of this complex contributes to outbreaks of S. exi...

Experiments were conducted to determine whether the beet leafhopper, Circulifer tenellus (Baker) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), transmits the purple top phytoplasma to potato, Solanum tuberosum L.; beets, Beta vulgaris L.; and selected weed hosts. The beet leafhopper-transmitted virescence agent (BLTVA) phytoplasma was identified as the causal agent of the potato purple top disease outbreaks that r...

Phytoplasma diseases are increasingly becoming important in vegetable crops in the Pacific Northwest. Recently, growers in the Columbia Basin and Yakima Valley experienced serious outbreaks of potato purple top disease that caused significant yield loss and a reduction in tuber processing quality. It was determined that the beet leafhopper-transmitted virescence agent (BLTVA) phytoplasma was th...

An increasing demand for food together with a growing demand for energy crops result in an increasing demand for and competition over water. Sugar cane, sugar beet and maize are not only essential food crops, but also important feedstock for bio-ethanol. Crop growth requires water, a scarce resource. This study aims to assess the green, blue and grey water footprint (WF) of sweeteners and bio-e...