The effects of methanol and amino acid glycine betaine on qualitative characteristics and yield of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) cultivars

Abstract

In order to investigate the effects of methanol and glycine betaine application on quality traits and yield of different fodder beet cultivars, the experiment was performed as a combined split-factorial design based on randomized complete block design with 3 replications in two years in Isfahan, Iran. The concentrations of methanol in 3 levels (control, 15 and 30% v/v methanol) were considered as the first treatment, the concentrations of glycine betaine in 2 levels (control and 4 g per liter) as the second treatment and different cultivars (‘Sentinel’, ‘Drafter’, ‘Rivolta’, ‘Elanta’, ‘Rasta’, and ‘Qualita’) were considered as the factorial. Foliar spraying was performed at three intervals every two weeks. The results showed that the methanol spraying affected on root yield, sugar, potassium and sodium content, catalase enzyme activity, superoxide dismutase, rubisco, and malondialdehyde significantly. Glycine betaine foliar application showed significant differences in root yield, sugar, potassium and sodium content, enzyme catalase activity, superoxide dismutase, rubisco, and malondialdehyde. Based on the results, the utilization of methanol and glycine betaine caused quality improvement of the sugar beet under similar conditions of the present experiment.