Sugar Beet Area Research Articles

The Impact of using Technology Packages on the Economics of Sugar beet Production in Egypt): A Case Study in Fayoum Governorate

The data indicates a decrease in the self-sufficiency rate of sugar year after year. It is clear that there is a great difficulty in increasing the area of sugar cane, in exchange for an opportunity to increase the area of sugar beet in the lands. Modern reclamation and producers face difficulty in using and applying the technological packages used in the production of sugar beet. The Fayoum governorate is considered one of the most important sugar beet producing governorates. Therefore, an intentional random sample was taken from the sugar beet producers in it from the users of the technology package (laser, cultivation using the Printer machine, and fertilization inside the irrigation hoses). It became clear from the results of the productivity function that the most important factors affecting the production function are evident. The element of the number of automatic working hours in laser leveling has a direct effect, while the two elements of seed and nitrogen fertilization have an opposite effect, that is, rationalizing them and not being wasteful in both leads to an increase in beet production. Automatic and reverse increase by rationalizing seed cultivation and fertilization inside the irrigation hoses, and the preference of the producers who used the bundles was confirmed, as the production reached 24.6 tons of beets per feddan, compared to 20.5 tons for non-users of the bundles, and the net yield per feddan amounted to about 10165 pounds, compared to 4130 pounds for non-users of the bundle. Therefore, the research recommends paying attention to the cultivation of sugar beet using the technological package, expanding its cultivation in new lands, and working to contract with producers in the supply of the crop, and for the factory to receive the production at the date agreed upon with the producer.

Phytotoxicity response of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) seedlings to herbicide fomesafen in soil

Fomesafen is the most widely used herbicide in the soybean field. However, there are urgent practical challenges with the long-term persistence of fomesafen in soil and its effects on the subsequent crops in agricultural production. Therefore, pot experiments were conducted to study the effects of fomesafen residues (0–0.05 mg kg–1) on growth, photosynthetic characteristics, and the antioxidant defense system of sugar beet seedlings. The results showed that with the increase of fomesafen residues, the phytotoxicity index increased, while the plant height, leaf area, root length, root volume, and dry weight of sugar beet decreased. Photosynthetic pigment content, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), maximum photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm), and actual photosynthetic efficiency (Y(II)) declined with a dose-dependent manner of fomesafen, but the intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) and non-photochemical quenching coefficient (NPQ) increased under fomesafen. On the other hand, the residues of fomesafen increased the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and membrane permeability by aggravating oxidative stress and triggering the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO). In addition, sugar beet seedlings were significantly sensitive to fomesafen as the concentration of fomesafen in the soil was up to 0.025 mg kg–1. In conclusion, the present study showed that fomesafen residues in the soil could affect the morphophysiology and photosynthetic performance of sugar beet. This study is beneficial for understanding the effects of the herbicide fomesafen residues on non-target crops.

Efect of sowing dates and seed rates of flax intercropped with sugar beet on productivity of both crops and competitive relationships

The aim of intercropping flax on sugar beet is to increase the cultivated area with flax due to widely cultivated area of sugar beet. So, a field experiment was carried out to study the effect of various sowing dates and seed rates of flax intercropped with sugar beet on yield, quality and economic evaluation. The main-plots were assigned to three sowing dates of flax intercropped with sugar beet and the sub-plots were allocated to four seed rates of flax. The results show that sowing date of flax after 35 days from sowing (DFS) sugar beet resulted in the highest values of sugar beet yields and quality. Maximum values of flax straw and seed yields resulted from sowing flax after 21 DFS sugar beet. Intercropping sugar beet with flax at 12.5% from recommended seed rate on top sugar beet terraces attained the most elevated values of sugar beet yield and quality. Sowing flax at 50% from recommended rate resulted in the best values of flax technical and fruiting zone length, also straw and seed yield/hectare. The maximum yield and economic return of both crops were obtained from sowing flax at 12.5% from recommended rate after (21 or 35) DFS sugar beet.

Agroecological Bases of Sustainable Development Strategy for the Rural United Territorial Communities of the Western Polissya Region

The article considers the influence of agroecological indicators on the sustainable development of the rural united territorial communities of the Western Polissya region (Ukraine) based on the current state analysis of crop production. To study the state of crop production and determine its role in the development of rural areas of the Western Polissya region, the authors used their field research, as well as data from the Main Departments of Statistics in Rivne and Volyn regions, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, statistical collection “Crop Production of Ukraine” (2018). The following methods were applied throughout the research process: system analysis, comparison, graphical and statistical methods. The development of crop production was assessed taking into account the dynamics of the following indicators: sown areas of crops (thousand hectares), production volume (gross harvest) of crops (thousand centners), crop yields (thousand hectares-1), sown areas of crops in enterprises and households on the territory of the Western Polissya region in terms of Rivne and Volyn regions for the period from 1995 to 2019. During the study period, changes in the ratio of areas between different crops were discovered: a decrease in the sown area of sugar beet, fruit and berry crops, cereals and legumes, and an increase in sunflower, vegetable crops, etc. An increase in crop yields and a slight decrease in gross harvest were established only for sugar beet in the two regions and fruit and berry crops in the Volyn region. In the region, 51.6% of the sown area of crops is accounted for by households that supply the market with products included in the consumer basket of ordinary citizens: roots and tubers, vegetables, and melons. Enterprises are focused on growing profitable crops (technical, grain, and legumes) for export

Efficiency use resources of the most important salt tolerant crops productivity in Sahl ELTinah

The study aimed to estimate the efficiency of resource use for farmers in the Sahel El-Tina region in Port Said Governorate by using a randomly sample of 140 farmers were selected from Sesame and Sugar beet farmers in the study area. They were selected according to the cultivated area of each crop. The cultivated area of Sesame crop reached about 29.11% from the total cultivated area, while the cultivated area of Sugar beet reached about 29.34% in study research. Data were collected by questionnaires through a personal interviews with the crops study farmers in the study area of both crops. The data were analyzed using the gross margin analysis, assessing the functions of production, costs and resource efficiency. The results for Sesame crop showed that the value of the determination coefficient reached 96.2%, which means that 96.2% of the factors affecting Sesame productivity (organic fertilizers, mechanical work and human labor). The gross margin was about 7600 L.E / feddan because the optimal use of agricultural resources. While the result for Sugar beet crop showed the value of determination coefficient factor increased reached 89.5%, which means that 89.5% of the factors affecting of the Sugar beets productivity are due to the influence of independent agricultural recourses. The gross margin was reached about 9140 L.E / feddan and the result of the use of resources showed that two of the agricultural resources (cultivated area and human labor were underutilized used , while(nitrogen fertilizers and mechanical work)were over utilized used .

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF SUGARCANE AND SUGAR BEET IN EGYPT

Sugarcane and sugar beet are the sources of sugar in Egypt. Upper Egypt’s economy is heavily dependent on sugarcane production. Disruptions to the area planted with sugarcane would impact the livelihood of many families that live directly on it’s farming, plus a plethora of ancillary business built around sugar production. The study aims to analyze the production, area and yield of sugarcane and sugar beet in Egypt. The study used the regression as a statistical technique that shows the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable. The mean of sugarcane production for the time period 1994-2016 was 15532.49 thousand ton while for the sugar beet production was 4987.03 thousand ton. The mean of sugarcane area is 133.54 thousand hectare and for sugar beet area is 99.60 thousand hectare. The results indicated that the area of sugarcane in Egypt is significant at the level of 1%, the regression coefficient of this variable equal 0.944 this result indicates that 1 percent increase in the area of sugarcane resulted in an increase in the sugarcane production by 0.922. The area of sugar beet in Egypt is significant at the level of 1%, the regression coefficient of this variable equal 1.073 this result indicates that 1 percent increase in the area of sugar beet resulted in an increase in the sugar beet production by 1.073. The study recommends improving the technology and procedures of work to produce sugar beet seeds in Egypt; increase the research with the purpose of taking advantage of genetic improvements, which should enable the introduction of new varieties with higher productivity and quality; government policy should encourage and incentive the farmers in different governorates to produce the most efficient crop in their governorates.

Změny v produkci cukrové řepy v Česku a Polsku po roce 2000

After the EU 2006 policy reform, EU sugar industry was undergoing fascinating development. The main aim of the contribution was to compare, how changes influenced sugar beet producers in the Czech Republic and Poland. In Poland, farmers were able to increase the average size of cultivated land while number of farmers decreased by 70%, yields and sugar content improved. In the Czech Republic, no significant improvement in average area per grower and sugar content was noticed, improvement was observed in the yield and total production. Most of the beet production is located close to sugar refineries, due to logistics constraints. Czech farms operates under higher costs and lower per hectare profit margin. Producer are operating under almost perfect competition, as Herfindahl-Hirschman index for producers is equal to 29.96 and 3.12 for the Czech Republic and Poland respectively. Distribution of sugar beet area among farmers, measured by the Gini coefficient, is qualified as very highly unequal. In both markets, differences in market powers exists. Dominance of Retail and Sugar producers over sugar-beet growers exists. Average price of beet has an increasing trend, although share of beet price on sugar price stagnated. After the end of the sugar quota system in 2017, growers will face pressure to further decrease the price of beet, as the price of sugar is expected to be down due to higher sugar supply. Improving production efficiency will be required.

ECONOMIC STUDY FOR THE SUPPLY RESPONSE OF SUGAR CROPS IN EGYPT

Agriculture sector is one of essential sector in the Egyptian economy. The sector is the main source of food required by Egyptian people, in addition to that the sector is also a source of row materials for many in industries. On the other hands, sugar cane and sugar beet crops are the main source of sugar in Egypt as well as in many other countries. The average sugar cane area and production were about 0.32 millon Fadden and 15.60 millon tons during the period (1995-2014). While sugar beet area was 0.21 millon fadden and 4.53 millon ton during the years (1995-2014). The research problem may be concentrated on that domestic sugar production is short meeting local consumption and there for the government has to fill the gap through imports which means a burden on government budget. The shortage of domestic sugar production is mainly due to the limited area of sugar cane crop, which is mainly due to the limited agricultural land and water. The increase of population and the per capita consumption of sugar and the need to rationalize water use have made sugar production in Egypt more accurate. The main objective of the present research is therefore a trial to estimate farmers supply response of sugar response of sugar produced from sugar cane and sugar beet in an attempt to reduce sugar imports. The study has also tried to examine factors that may affect sugar consumption, i.e. social and political factors are also taken into consideration. The study showed that Brazil, India and China are the main producer of sugar cane, 48.32%, 29.32% and 9.31% respectively. The three countries produce together about 87% of sugar from sugar cane. On the other hand, France, USE, Germany produce together about 66% of total sugar beet. A study of supply response of sugar cane showed that farm price of sugar cane with two years lag and net return per Fadden with one year lag the important factors affective sugar cane production .As for sugar beet production, it was found that farm price and area with one year lag were the most important factor affecting sugar supply from sugar beet. The study recommends the expansion of sugar beet area particularly in the now reclaimed land in addition to of farming an encouraging price to farmers. Finally it is advisable to rationalize sugar consumption by Egyptian people.

Identification of plant agricultural production problems to sugar beet area farmers, Al-Amriya district, Alexandria governorate, Egypt

The main aim of this research was to identify some of the social, economic and communication characteristics of the investigated farmers, as well as to identify the most important problems faced by the farmers concerned in the agricultural production in the sugar beet area, with relative importance. The data were collected using a questionnaire from a random sample of 200 respondents from the sugar beet area in Alexandria. The percentage, standard deviation, mean and weighted weights were used to analyze the data and display the results. The results indicated that: The majority of farmers interviewed by 67% were ignorant, read and write, fluent in reading and writing, has a primary certificate, and holds a preparatory certificate. More than third of the surveyed farmers have a storage capacity of 1-5 acre to 36%. More than 60% of the farmers interviewed received possession capacity through purchase from others. 95% of the respondents mentioned that the low level of irrigation water and the diversion of its rotation with increasing salinity of water is one of the most important problems facing the agricultural production of vegetables with a weighted weight 950, followed by the problem of scarcity of good seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.

Differential sensitivity of Atriplex patula and Chenopodium album to sugar beet herbicides: a possible cause for the upsurge of A. patula in sugar beet fields

SummaryIn the last decade, the prevalence of Atriplex patula as a weed in the Belgian sugar beet area has increased. Possible reasons for its expansion in sugar beet fields, besides a poor implementation of the low‐dose phenmedipham/activator/soil‐acting herbicide (FAR) system, might be low sensitivity or evolved resistance to one or more herbicides used in sugar beet. Dose–response pot bioassays were conducted in the glasshouse to evaluate the effectiveness of five foliar‐applied sugar beet herbicides (metamitron, phenmedipham, desmedipham, ethofumesate and triallate) and three pre‐plant‐incorporated herbicides (metamitron, lenacil, dimethenamid‐P) for controlling five Belgian A. patula populations. Local metamitron‐susceptible and metamitron‐resistant populations of Chenopodium album were used as reference populations. Effective dosages and resistance indices were calculated. DNA sequence analysis of the photosystem II psbA gene was performed on putative resistant A. patula populations. Overall, A. patula exhibited large intraspecific variation in herbicide sensitivity. In general, A. patula populations were less susceptible to phenmedipham, desmedipham, ethofumesate and triallate relative to C. album populations. Two A. patula populations bear the leucine‐218 to valine mutation on the chloroplast psbA gene conferring low level to high level cross‐resistance to the photosystem II inhibitors phenmedipham, desmedipham, metamitron and lenacil. In order to avoid insufficient A. patula control and further spread, seedlings should preferentially be treated with FAR mixtures containing higher‐than‐standard doses of metamitron and phenmedipham/desmedipham and no later than the cotyledon stage.

Theory of Vibrations of Sugar Beet Leaf Harvester Front-Mounted on Universal Tractor

Abstract The harvest and transport of sugar beet leaves during harvesting can be considered a current task in the area of sugar beet growing system development. A rotary sugar beet leaf cutting mechanism is used for achieving the significant increase in the harvester forward speed during harvest. This leads to intensive vibrations of the topping mechanism in the longitudinal vertical plane causing the decrease of harvest quality. Therefore, it is necessary to analytically determine the effect of kinematic and design parameters of the sugar beet topping mechanism front-mounted on the tractor and to discover the value of the amplitude of oscillations in the longitudinal vertical plane of its sugar beet topping mechanism. We have constructed a mathematical model of the estimated motion of this machine by means of dynamics equations in Lagrange II-kind form. A system consisting of two non-linear differential equations was obtained by developing the equivalent scheme of selected generalized coordinates and by performing the necessary mathematical transformations. This system describes the vibrations of the sugar beet topping mechanism in the longitudinal vertical plane. The optimal design and kinematic parameters of the sugar beet topper mechanism front-mounted on the tractor were determined by means of our own software and numerical solution of the differential equation system, which allows the reduction of mentioned vibrations.

Yield gaps in Dutch arable farming systems: Analysis at crop and crop rotation level

Arable farming systems in the Netherlands are characterized by crop rotations in which potato, sugar beet, spring onion, winter wheat and spring barley are the most important crops. The objectives of this study were to decompose crop yield gaps within such rotations into efficiency, resource and technology yield gaps and to explain those yield gaps based on observed cropping frequencies and alternative farmers' objectives. Data from specialized Dutch arable farms between 2008 and 2012 were used. Production frontiers and efficiency yield gaps were estimated using the stochastic frontier framework. The resource yield gap was quantified through the estimation of highest farmers' yields (YHF, average across farms with actual yields above the 90th percentile). Crop model simulations and variety trials were compiled to assess climatic potential yields (Yp) and technology yield gaps. The contribution of crop area shares and farmers' objectives to actual yields were assessed using regression analysis and based on five different farm level indicators (N production, energy production, gross margin, nitrogen-use efficiency and labour use), respectively.The average yield gap per crop (as percentage of Yp which is given in parentheses) was: 29.2% (of 72.6t ha−1) for ware potato, 39.7% (of 71.6t ha−1) for starch potato, 26.4% (of 107.1t ha−1) for sugar beet, 32.3% (of 88.3t ha−1) for spring onion, 25.2% (of 12.3t ha−1) for winter wheat and 37.5% (of 10.4t ha−1) for spring barley. The efficiency yield gap ranged between 6.6% (starch potato) and 18.1% (spring onion) of Yp. The resource yield gap was lower than 10% of Yp for all the crops and the technology yield gap ranged between 7.1% (ware potato) and 30.7% of Yp (starch potato). There were statistically significant effects of potato (positive quadratic) and onion (positive) area shares on ware potato, sugar beet and winter wheat yields, of sugar beet area share (positive quadratic) on winter wheat yield and of cereal area share (negative) on sugar beet and winter wheat yields. Farmers' objectives explain part of the variability observed in crop yields which were 7–24%, 13–24% and 12–32% lower than YHF, respectively, for gross margin maximising, labour minimising and N use efficiency maximising farms. In addition, there was a significant positive relationship between gross margin and the yield of ware potato, sugar beet and winter wheat. By contrast, no significant relationships were found between crop yields and NUE or labour use.We conclude that most of the yield gap is explained by the efficiency yield gap for ware potato and spring onion and by both the efficiency and technology yield gaps for sugar beet and cereals. The resource yield gap explains most of the yield gap of seed potato, and the technology yield gap of starch potato. The results regarding the effects of cropping frequency and crop rotations to crop yields are not very conclusive which suggest that agronomic principles become less evident at ‘systems level’ given the number of interacting factors at crop rotation level. Finally, although N and energy production are lower for gross margin maximising farms, most crop yields are not significantly different between farms with the highest N and energy production compared to farms performing best on economic (gross margin) objectives.

مستوی أداء مربی الحیوانات المزرعیة للممارسات الزراعیة الجیدة المتعلقة بإنتاج الألبان بمنطقة النوباریة

The present study aimed to identifying the knowledge of farm animals’ keepers to the good agricultural practices in the field of dairy production at Al Nubaria Area, their level of implementing such practices and determining the most crucial obstacles that prevent farm animals’ keepers from implementing the good agricultural practices at the study area. The study was conducted on a simple sample of 100 farm animals’ keepers in three villages in the sugar beet area. The study results showed that farm animals’ keepers knowledge in terms of the good agricultural practices in the field of milk production were as follows: 1- As for enhancing animals’ resistance to diseases variable, it was found that 60 % of respondents were of the low and average knowledge category, whereas 40 % were of the high knowledge category. 2- As for animals’ care variable, it was indicated that 43 % of respondents came under the average knowledge category, whereas 37% came under the low knowledge and 20% came under the high knowledge category. 3- As for environment variable, it was shown that 46% of respondents fell under the average knowledge category, whereas 44 % were of the high knowledge category and 12% were of the low knowledge category. 4- As for nutrition and fodder variable, it was found that 53% of respondents fell under the average knowledge category, 30% fell under the high knowledge category, whereas 17% were of the low knowledge category. 5- There was a relative reduction in the level of respondents’ implementing to the good agricultural practices in the field of dairy production, as for the boosting resistance to diseases variable, it was found that 65% of respondents were of the low and average implementing category. 6- As for animals’ care variable, it was found that 46 % of respondents came under the low implementing category, as for environment variable, results showed that 40 % of respondents were of the high implementing category, and 39 % came under the average implementing category and 21 % were of the low implementing category. As for personal hygiene variable, it was found that 38 % of respondents fell under the average implementing category, 35 % fell under the high implementing category and 27 % came under the low implementing category. As for nutrition and fodder variable, it was shown that 48 % of respondents came under the average implementing category, whereas 27 % came under the low implementing category. 7- Results showed a significant relationship at (0.01) significance level between the variables: educational qualification, attitude toward modernizing of agricultural practices and the knowledge level of farm animals’ keepers in the field of milk production at the study area. there was also a significant relationship at 0.01 significance level between : educational qualification, animal holing and level of farm animals’ keepers level of implementation to the proper agricultural practices in the field on dairy at the study area. 8- Respondents reported five (5) obstacles that keep farm animals” keepers from implementing the proper agricultural practices in the field of dairy production i.e. the high price of fodders, the poor, in adequate extension services and information on keeping milk production animals, the insufficient finances for the keepers, difficulty of marketing due to lack of near markets near dairy marketing and the high fees for veterinarian vaccination.

AN ANALYTICAL STUDY FOR EFFECT OF REDUCING WATER VORACIOUS CROP AREAS ON THE CROPPING PATTERN STRUCTURE AND ITS WATER NEEDS

AN ANALYTICAL STUDY FOR EFFECT OF REDUCING WATER VORACIOUS CROP AREAS ON THE CROPPING PATTERN STRUCTURE AND ITS WATER NEEDS

STATISTICAL ESTIMATION OF PRODUCTION FUNCTIONS AND AGRICULTURAL COSTS AND MEASURES OF PRODUCTIVITY EFFICIENCY OF WATER USERS' ASSOCIATIONS OF DIFFERENT IRRIGATION SYSTEMS IN AL-BEHEIRA GOVERNORATE

STATISTICAL ESTIMATION OF PRODUCTION FUNCTIONS AND AGRICULTURAL COSTS AND MEASURES OF PRODUCTIVITY EFFICIENCY OF WATER USERS' ASSOCIATIONS OF DIFFERENT IRRIGATION SYSTEMS IN AL-BEHEIRA GOVERNORATE

AN ECONOMIC STUDY OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF SUGAR CROPS IN EGYPT

Sugar crops are considered to be the most important strategic food commodities, which attract the attention of decision-makers and producers who are concerned with the availability of supply in the markets, the deficit and the food gap. Sugar production depends on two crops in Egypt: sugarcane and sugar beet. A sugar gap due to the inability of the supply of domestic sugar to meet the demand for increased consumer needs, resulting in higher prices. The study aims to study the current situation of the production and consumption of sugar crops in Egypt and to estimate the food gap of sugar. Also, study the most important factors affecting the production and consumption of sugar crops in Egypt and the self-sufficiency rate. Of sugar The research was based on descriptive and quantitative analysis of the economic variables, the subject of the research to measure those variables and the research reached the following results. The cultivated area of sugar cane and sugar beet has taken an increasing general trend, which is estimated to be about 0.6, 37.7 thousand feddans annually, respectively, representing about 0.19%, 11.3% of the average during the period (2005- 2015) 324.3, 334.6 thousand acres, respectively. The total production of cane sugar has taken a general trend is decreasing, and did not confirm the statistical model, that is, there is relative stability length of study. The production of sugar beet crop has taken an increasing trend, which is estimated at about 810.8 thousand tons annually, representing about 11.6% of the annual average and estimated at 7002 thousand tons. The total amount of sugar produced from both sugar cane and sugar beets has taken an increasing general trend, and did not confirm the statistical significance, that is, there is relative stability throughout the study period. The food gap of sugar amounted to about 50.35 thousand tons, representing about 1.71% of the average national consumption of sugar, which amounted to 2937 thousand tons during the same period. Self-sufficiency rate of sugar amounted to about 63%, has taken a general trend decreases, and did not confirm the statistical significance, there is relative stability length of the study period. The study of the most important factors affecting the production of cane and sugar beet separately showed the existence of a positive relationship between the total production of each crop separately and the area and productivity of each crop separately, respectively. Study the factors affecting the consumption of sugar during the period of research shows the existence of a positive relationship between national consumption of sugar and the income of the consumer per pound / per year, local production of sugar per thousand tons, and the monetary value to support sugar per million pounds, and the opposite of the amount of national consumption of sugar and the retail price of sugar per kilogram per kilogram and the average global price in dollars / ton.

Cuckoo optimization algorithm in optimal water allocation and crop planning under various weather conditions (case study: Qazvin plain, Iran)

As inferred from its biological nature, agriculture is a key consumer of water resources in many countries. Hence, today, water management plays an important role in the use of water resources of these countries. The present study aimed to optimize cultivation area, to manage irrigation water, and to optimize total income gained from the cultivation area of special crops in Qazvin plain (the central plateau of Iran) under various weather conditions using cuckoo optimization algorithm (COA). Under the same objective function, the performance of the COA was accessed through comparison with the genetic algorithm (GA). The results of two models showed that because of its high water requirement and low yield, the cultivation area of sugar beet in every four different condition reduced (by over 80%); that is, it is not wise to plant it in all different weather conditions of the study area. Comparison of the model results indicates that the COA can provide better and more reliable optimal results in relative yield of crops, higher farm income. So, in comparison with GA, less water is allocated. Following the new cropping pattern delivered by COA model, the water volume stored in the dam reservoir at the end of the operation under wet, normal, dry, and hot–dry conditions rose, respectively, by 264,745.3, 2,865,387, 275,789, and 655,918 m3. Meanwhile, the farmers’ profit increased, respectively, by 6.2, 2.6, 1.27, and 1.48% compared to the previous optimization occurred at the end of the operation. To conclude, COA is quite promising in a cultivation area of crops optimization problem in terms of its simple structure, excellent search efficiency, and strong robustness.

SUGAR AND SUGAR BEET PRODUCTION IN TURKEY AND POLAND IN THE YEARS 1995-2014

The work summarizes changes, which involved the sugar and sugar beet production in Turkey and in Poland, in the years 1995-2014. Sugar beet area in Turkey has decreased by 7% and in Poland by 48%. Harvest has increased by 51% in Turkey and has remained unchanged in Poland. Sugar beet yield has increased: in Turkey by 63% and in Poland by 97%. 71% farmers have stopped cropping sugar beet, while in Poland this share has been 87%. Mean plantation size has increased in Turkey by over a factor of 2 (compared to 1997), while in Poland it has been by a factor of almost 4. Sugar production in Turkey has dropped by 13% (compared to 1997) and in Poland it has grown by 29%. Three new sugar plants started operation in Turkey in the years 1995-2014. In Poland 58 facilities shut down. Turkey’s securing position of major sugar producer is to be expected, under the conditions of increased pace of production concentration and implementing new production technologies. Withdrawal of sugar production quotas in the EU resulted in increased sugar beet spring sowing in several member states, including Poland. Further developments in 2018 and in the following years shall depend on the profitability of sugar beet crops and of sugar production. Significant influence is also to be expected from the isoglucose competition, production of which is to enjoy quotas withdrawal, as well.

Assessment of soil quality index for wheat and sugar beet cropping systems on an entisol in Central Anatolia.

The sustainable use of agricultural lands is significantly affected by the implemented management and land processing methods. In sugar beet and wheat cropping, because the agronomic characteristics of plants are different, the tillage methods applied also exhibit significant variability. Soil quality concept is used, as a holistic approach to determining the effects of these applications on the sustainable use of soil. Agricultural soil quality evaluation is essential for economic success and environmental stability in rapidly developing regions. At present, a variety of methods are used to evaluate soil quality using different indicators. This study was conducted in one of the most important irrigated agriculture areas of Çumra plain in Central Anatolia, Turkey. In the soil under sugar beet and wheat cultivation, 12 soil quality indicators (aggregate stability (AS), available water capacity (AWC), surface penetration resistance (PR0-20), subsurface penetration resistance (PR20-40), organic matter (OM), active carbon (AC), potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN), root health value (RHV), pH, available phosphorus (AP), potassium (K), and macro-micro elements (ME) (Mg, Fe, Mn, and Zn)) were measured and scored according to the Cornell Soil Health Assessment (CSHA) and the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF). The differences among 8 (AS, AWC, PR0-20, PR20-40, AC, PMN, AP, and ME) of these 12 soil quality characteristics measured in two different plant cultivation were found statistically significant. The result of the soil quality evaluation with scoring function in the examined area revealed a soil quality score of 61.46 in the wheat area and of 51.20 in the sugar beet area, which can be classified as medium and low, respectively. Low soil quality scores especially depend on physical and biological soil properties. Therefore, improvement of soil physical and biological properties with sustainable management is necessary to enhance the soil quality in the study area soils.

Additive intercropping of wheat, barley, and faba bean with sugar beet: Impact on yield, quality and land use efficiency

Two field experiments were conducted during the winter seasons of 2013 and 2014, at the Experimental Station of the Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. Main aim was to study the effect of intercropping sugar beet with wheat, barley, and faba bean on the yield and some quality attributes of sugar beet and the used companion crops. In addition, to examine the effectiveness of intercropping using the new index – dry matter equivalent ratio (DMER) - in comparison to the traditional land equivalent ratio (LER) that was also investigated. The field trials were laid out in a split plot design with three replications. The three companion crop (wheat, barley, and faba bean) percentages (50, 75, and 100%) were tested in the main plots, while the sub plots were assigned to testing the variations among the seven intercropping patterns. Results revealed that the leaf area (m2), root yield (ton ha-1), harvest index and sugar yield (ton ha-1) of sugar beet were significantly affected by the interaction between the companion crop species and percentage in both seasons. Pure stands of sugar beet were superior in the four traits (leaf area, root yield, harvest index and sugar yield) followed by sugar beet intercropped with the lowest companion crops percentage. Intercropping with cereals (wheat and barley) resulted in slightly better values for these traits than intercropping with faba bean. Grain yields of wheat and barley and seed yield of faba bean reached the maximum in the pure stands and reduced by reducing the intercropping percentages of the three companion crops. On the contrary, number of pods and 100-seed weight of faba bean followed an opposite trend and reduced by increasing the intercropping percentages. Values of LER were greater than 1.00 in any intercropping system of sugar beet with wheat, barley, and faba bean, indicating an advantage of the intercropping patterns for land usage and yield gain. However, when determining the yield gain in terms of DMER, it was found that only in case of intercropping sugar beet with wheat there was a yield gain (DMER > 1). On the other hand, when intercropping sugar beet with barley and faba bean, there was loss in the overall produced yield (DMER < 1), indicating a severe competition between the sugar beet and the two companion crops. The DMER provided more realistic idea about the effect of intercropping, compared to the LER.