Respiration of sugarbeets following harvest in relation to temperature, mechanical injury and selected chemical treatment

Abstract

The loss of sugar from sugarbeets during storage is a sIg­ nificant economic factor. Some factors which contribute to this post-harvest loss include dehydration, decay, mechanical injury, sprouting, freezing, respiration and sugar conv~rsions. Although quite variable, sugar losses alone have been estimated (6)3 at approximately I pound of sugar per ton of beets per day over the normal processing period, which may be as long as 4 montbs following harvest. Another es timate (2) places the average loss at more than 40 pounds of sugar per ton of beets pi led, excluding processing loss. There is , therefore, great interest within the beet sugar industry to minimize this loss by improving the handling and storage techniques. Accurate assessment of the various factors contributing to the overall loss is of paramount importance in order to determine where improvement should be made, if proven economically feasib le. Knowledge of sugarbeet respiration and factors which in­ fluel1Ce its magnitude may be of value in developing improved handling and storage techniques. This study was initiated to determine the influence of temperature, mechanical injury and selected chemicals on the respiration rate of sugarbeets. Materials and Methods The sugarbeets (variety GW H-l ) employed in these studies were grown near Fremont, Ohio. They were harvested on October 16 and November 6, 1967. Those from the first harvest were subjected to post-harvest chemical treatments, mecharii cal injury and ethylene treatment. Beets from the second harvest were employed for storage temperature and mechanical injury studies. The beets for both studies upon harvest were topped manuall y (cut just below the crown), a nd cleaned by a high pressure water spray to remove the adhering soil. The chemica l treatment study consisted of 4 lots of approximately 30 beets each, fairly uniform in size, which r eceived a IS-s econd immersion in one of the following treating solutions: 1) potassium azide - a res­