Common Sugar Beet Research Articles

First Report of Beet Yellows Virus Causing Virus Yellows in Sugar Beet in Serbia.

Several viruses have been described to infect sugar beet (Beta vulgaris var. saccharifera L.), but virus yellows disease is one of the most important diseases in many sugar beet growing areas. It is caused by four viruses either in single or mixed infection, including the poleroviruses beet western yellows virus (BWYV), beet mild yellowing virus (BMYV), and beet chlorosis virus (BChV), and a closterovirus beet yellows virus (BYV) (Stevens et al. 2005; Hossain et al. 2021). In August 2019, five samples of sugar beet plants showing yellowing on interveinal leaf tissue were collected in a sugar beet crop in the Novi Sad locality (Vojvodina Province, Serbia). Double-antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA commercial antisera (DSMZ, Braunschweig, Germany) were used to test the collected samples for the presence of the most common sugar beet viruses: beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV), BWYV, BMYV, BChV, and BYV. Commercial positive and negative controls were included in each ELISA test. BYV was serologically detected in all sugar beet samples, but no other viruses tested were found. The presence of BYV in sugar beet plants was further confirmed by conventional reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. Total RNAs were extracted using the RNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany), according to the manufacturer's instructions, and used as template in the RT-PCR. Total RNAs extracted from healthy sugar beet leaves and molecular-grade water were included as negative controls in the RT-PCR analysis. RT-PCR confirmed the presence of BYV in all naturally infected plants using four sets of specific primers (Kundu and Ryšánek 2004), whereas no amplification products were obtained in the negative controls. The RT-PCR products derived from isolate 209-19 were purified and directly sequenced in both directions using the same primer pairs as in RT-PCR (accession numbers OQ686792 to OQ686794). Multiple sequence alignment of the L-Pro and N-terminal part of the MET genes showed that the Serbian BYV isolate had the highest nucleotide identity (99.01% and 100%, respectively) with several BYV isolates in GenBank originating from different parts of the world. Sequence analysis of the HSP70 gene showed the highest similarity (99.79%) with the BYV-Cro-L isolate found in Croatia. In a semi-persistent type of transmission test, aphids (Myzus persicae Sulzer) were allowed to feed on BYV-infected leaves of an ELISA-positive sample (209-19) for 48 hours, and then the aphids were transferred to five plants each of Spinacia oleracea cv. Matador and B. vulgaris ssp. vulgaris cv. Eduarda for a three-day inoculation access period. All test plants were successfully infected and exhibited symptoms in the form of interveinal yellowing up to three weeks postinoculation. RT-PCR confirmed the presence of BYV in all inoculated plants. A study by Nikolić (1951) suggested a possible presence of BYV based on symptoms observed on sugar beet plants in fields, but to our knowledge this is the first report of BYV in sugar beet in Serbia. As sugar beet is one of the most important industrial crops in Serbia, the presence of BYV could lead to significant losses, considering that aphid vectors are widespread under Serbian environmental conditions. The discovery of BYV on sugar beet should prompt a more detailed survey and subsequent testing of susceptible hosts to determine the distribution and incidence of BYV in Serbia.

Response of soil biological activity to common herbicide strategies in sugar beet cultivation

Agricultural intensification is strongly related to the application of pesticides which may substantially affect agroecosystems. It is recognized that the effect of pesticides on agroecosystems is associated with the application of multi-component mixtures rather than from individual pesticides. In sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) cultivation, the most used pesticides are herbicides. Herbicides are commonly applied with varying intensities depending on their amount of active ingredients and dosages to coincide with weed species-specific occurrence. Research on their ecotoxicological effects on functional attributes of agroecosystems has not received adequate attention. This study aims to determine the impact of three common sugar beet herbicide strategies (HS) on the biological activity of the edaphic community, proposed as a functional indicator for potential decomposition capability. The strategies compared were: HS1: two herbicides, 100% of authorized application rate; HS2: three herbicides, <50% of authorized application rate; HS3: six herbicides, ≤35% of authorized application rate. To discern anticipated small differences, different tillage intensities (ploughing and mulching) and comprehensive field trials at 19 environments (site×year) distributed throughout Germany were compared. Feeding activity on bait substrate and the mass loss of wheat straw were measured to quantify the effect of HS on the decomposition activity of the edaphic community.Overall, this study demonstrated that no consistent significant differences in biological activity were found among herbicides strategies. Environment and tillage intensity were the main factors influencing the biological activity of the edaphic community. Biological activity was highly variable among environments and was reduced by differences in tillage. Furthermore, temperature was observed to be an important factor for the biological activity. Moreover, soil parameters resulting from reduced tillage intensity in the mulching system enhanced biological activity. In conclusion, clear and direct effects of changing herbicide strategies on the functional integrity of the edaphic community could not be discerned. These results were quantified for the first time through considering multiple influencing factors in situ.

Postharvest jasmonic acid treatment of sugarbeet roots reduces rot due to Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium claviforme, and Phoma betae

Although jasmonic acid (JA) and JA derivatives are known to activate plant defense mechanisms and provide protection against postharvest fungal diseases for several horticultural crops, JA's ability to protect sugarbeet ( Beta vulgaris L.) roots against common causal organisms of storage rot is unknown. To determine the potential of JA to reduce rot due to three common sugarbeet storage pathogens, harvested roots were treated with JA concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, or 100 μM, inoculated with Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium claviforme, or Phoma betae, and evaluated for the severity of rot symptoms after incubation at 20 °C and 90% relative humidity. JA concentrations of 0.01–100 μM significantly reduced rot due to all three pathogens. All concentrations of JA provided statistically equivalent control against B. cinerea and P. betae, and reduced the amount of rotted tissue due to these pathogens by an average of 51 and 71%, respectively. Against P. claviforme, JA concentrations of 0.01–10 μM were equally effective and reduced rot by an average of 44%, while an increase in JA concentration to 100 μM reduced rot by 65%. Against all three pathogens, JA treatment did not affect the incidence of infection, but reduced rot by reducing the progression of disease symptoms in root storage tissue.

Investigations on a new Beta (Chenopodiaceae)

Both the common sugar beet and Indian spinach (locally called Palong) have so far been considered to be the same species, Beta vulgaris L. Critical morphological, karyological, and biochemical studies revealed that Indian spinach is strikingly different from B. vulgaris and is described here as Beta palonga Basu &amp; Mukherjee sp. nov.

Allergy to the pollen of the common sugar beet (Beta vulgaris)

Allergy to the pollen of the common sugar beet (Beta vulgaris)