Abstract
Soil salinity adversely affects the growth, yield, and quality parameters of sugar beet, leading to a reduction in root and sugar yields. Improving the physical and chemical properties of salt-affected soils is essential for sustainable cultivation and sugar beet production. A field experiment was conducted at the Delta Sugar Company Research Farm, El-Hamool, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt, to evaluate the response of sugar beet to the application of beet sugar filter cake treated with sulfuric and phosphoric acid-treated, phosphogypsum (PG), desaline, humic acid, and molasses under saline soil conditions. The application of treated filter cake enhanced root length, diameter, and leaf area. The application of molasses enhanced root length, diameter, and leaf area as well. Application of molasses increased sugar content and root yield. The application of either treated filter cake or molasses produced the highest recoverable sugar yield. Linear regression analysis revealed that the root yield, quality index, and recoverable sugar yield increased in response to the increased availability of either Ca2+ or K content in the soil which increases in response to the application of soil amendments and molasses. The application of treated beet sugar filter cake and molasses increased the calcium, magnesium, and potassium availability in the soil. Treated filter cake is a promising organic soil amendment that enhanced the yield by 29% and yield-related traits of sugar beet by improving the physical and chemical properties of the soil.
Highlights
The increasing production of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris, L.) in the tropical and subtropical regions is an important part of the beet sugar industry
Linear regression analysis revealed that the root yield, quality index and recoverable sugar yield increased in response to the increased availability of either Ca2+ and K content in the soil which increases in response to the application of soil amendments and molasses
The general linear model regression revealed positive correlations between Ca2+ and K and either revealed root yield, sucrose content, quality index and recoverable sugar yield with a coefficient of determination (R2) ranged between 0.302–0.758 (Figs. 1 and 2). These results indicate that root yield, quality index and recoverable sugar yield were increased in response to the increase of either Ca2+ and K content in the soil which is increased in response to the application of soil amendments and molasses
Summary
The increasing production of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris, L.) in the tropical and subtropical regions is an important part of the beet sugar industry. Its salt tolerance is the main advantage of sugar beet and makes it a promising sugar crop in these regions (Kaffka &Hembree 2004).It has efficient growth, high sugar production, and completes its lifecycle in a short growing season in the newly reclaimed soils dominating these regions which are mostly characterized as saline soils (Abo-Elwafa et al 2013, Abo-Elwafa et al 2006, Abou-Elwafa et al 2020, Balakrishnan &Selvakumar 2009). Sugar beet is one of the most salt-tolerant crops available; seed germination and seedling establishment is adversely affected by salt levels in soils. An increase of EC in the electroconductivity (EC) level of soils above 6 dSm-1 drastically reduces the emergence rate and dry weight of sugar beet seedlings (Kaffka &Hembree 2004). Increasing soil salinity reduces germination rate, seedling length, seedling fresh weight and seedling vigor of all sugar beet varieties under investigation. Soil salinity results in osmotic and oxidative stress, ion toxicity, nutritional imbalances, decreased cell division activity, changes in metabolic processes, such as photosynthesis and respiration, and disruption of plant membranes (Hasanuzzaman et al 2014)
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