Weed Control in Sugarbeet

Abstract

Weeds left in beet crops can make harvesting more difficult and costly, interfere with clamping and affect processing if taken into the factory. Mature weeds shed seed to add to the soil bank and germinate in subsequent crops. Most importantly, severe yield penalties can result from a failure to control weeds. In the last three decades, herbicide and weed control developments have made a significant contribution to the increase of average sugar beet yields. In the 1990s, the reduced use of herbicides has become a necessity in order to limit environmental pollution and to safeguard human health. As a consequence, in the last years, the general trend of the crop is to achieve a gradual reduction in doses applied in pre and post-emergence by using several blends of products to valorize their synergy effects. The reduction of the use of herbicides can be obtained replacing herbicide treatments with revaluation of agronomic techniques and minimizing the dose rate of herbicides. In this way weed control involve chemical and non-chemical strategies in the integrated weed management. This system offers the potential to reduce but not to replace the use of herbicides in sugar beets on larger scale basis.