The effect of field dodder ( Cuscuta campestris Yunck.) on the leaf and tuber yield of sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris L.)

Tamer Üstüner

doi:10.3906/tar-1711-108

Abstract

In this study, the effect of field dodder (Cuscuta campestris Yunck.) on the leaf and tuber yield of sugar beet fields in Kahramanmaraş Province of Turkey was investigated. Field dodder is known to spend its entire vegetation period as a parasite plant on its hosts after germinating from the soil. It causes significant yield and quality loss of many cultivated plants, including sugar beet. In this study, the influence of dodder on leaf chlorophyll a and b, total chlorophyll levels, leaf yield, wet and dry leaf weight, and leaf ash weight of sugar beet was investigated. For this purpose, two varieties of sugar beet (Valentina and 551) were cultivated in two growing areas as groups of infected and uninfected sugar beet. Sugar beet leaf numbers and associated hectare yield decreased considerably when the plants were infected with the parasite. Crop yield per hectare was calculated to be 79,573.9 kg/ha for uninfected plots while it was determined as 57,341.3 kg/ha for the infected ones. Average leaf yield (32,943.6 kg/ha for uninfected versus 18,451.4 kg/ha for infected), tuber sizes (28.116 × 8.244 cm for uninfected versus 18.984 × 6.269 cm for infected), the amounts of chlorophyll a (4.020 and 1.650 mg/g) and chlorophyll b (1.67 and 1.29 mg/g), and total chlorophyll values (5.69 and 2.94 mg/g) were all observed to decline when the crops were infected by field dodder.

Highlights

Plants are vital for human nutrition with high numbers of species and numerous cultivars, genotypes, accessions, etc. occurring in most parts of the world
We studied infected and uninfected samples of Valentina and 551 varieties of sugar beets grown in Kahramanmaraş Province (AfşinGöksun area) in 2016
Leaf chlorophyll a and b, and total values Mean chlorophyll a level was measured as 1.650 mg/g in infected leaves of sugar beet and as 4.020 mg/g in uninfected varieties, while these values were 1.29 mg/g and 1.67 mg/g for the chlorophyll b of the infected and uninfected plants in the plots, respectively

Summary

Introduction

Plants are vital for human nutrition with high numbers of species and numerous cultivars, genotypes, accessions, etc. occurring in most parts of the world. Plants are accepted as one of the most important genetic resources and elements of biodiversity, which support life systems on earth (Sengul et al, 2011; Ercisli et al, 2012; Zia-UlHaq et al, 2014). Sugar is one of the essential nutrients for people and sugar cane and sugar beets are the two most important sources of sugar. 25% of the total sugar produced in the world is derived from sugar beet and 75% from sugar cane. In Turkey and Europe, due to climatic conditions, sugar beet is produced instead of cane sugar as a strategic product (Pankobirlik, 2010). The major countries for sugar beet production in the world are as follows: Brazil with 40,219,000 t/year, Russia with 37,600,000 t/year, France with 28,913,000 t/year, the United States with 28,473,000 t/year, and Turkey with 19,216,000 t/year

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