UK Sugar beet - 2025

CropGPT - Sugar

Navigating Sugar Beet in 2025

A warmer-than-average 2025 means fresh hurdles for England’s sugar-beet growers: no neonic seed treatment, rising Cercospora pressure, new insecticide and variety options, and the usual weather roller-coaster. In this episode we break down the latest BBRO and NFU guidance—plus field-tested tips—to help you defend both yield and sugar content.

1 · Major Disease Threats

Virus Yellows (BYV/BMYV/BChV)

• Still the single biggest risk: uncontrolled infections can slash yields by 50–80 %.
• No Cruiser SB emergency use in 2025—foliar control is essential.
• Defence plan
  • Plant partially tolerant varieties: Generosa, Tweed, Maruscha KWS.
  • Follow BBRO AphidWatch from 1 May; spray only when thresholds are passed.
  • The “three-spray toolkit”:
    1. Flonicamid (Teppeki/Afinto) – slow but gentle on beneficials.
    2. Acetamiprid (Insyst) – fast knock-down, up to 16 leaves.
    3. Flupyradifurone (Sivanto Prime) – new systemic option, up to 9 leaves.
  • Rotate chemistries, use ≥ 200 L ha⁻¹ water, and destroy volunteer beet/weed hosts.

Cercospora Leaf Spot

• Incidence climbing with hotter, humid summers; severe outbreaks can halve sugar.
• Defence plan
  • Trial Chyma KWS, the UK’s first CLS-resistant variety.
  • Adopt a robust two-spray fungicide block: anchor with Revystar XE (can be used twice), then follow with Priori Gold/Escolta and Caligula (post-1 Sept).
  • Spray preventively (late July first hit), use 150–200 L ha⁻¹ water, and track BBRO SporeNet.
  • Maintain 3–4 year rotations and plough down beet residues.

2 · Key Pests to Watch

• Aphids – primarily managed as virus vectors (see above).
• Beet Moth (Scrobipalpa ocellatella)
  • First major UK damage in the 2022 heatwave.
  • Monitor with pheromone traps (June–Aug) and frequent crop scouting.
  • Irrigation or high-volume pyrethroids give only partial control—harvest damaged fields early and bury residues.
• Beet Cyst Nematode (BCN)
  • Yield drag of 15–60 % on infested sands.
  • Keep beet to 1-in-4 rotation, grow mustard/oil-radish trap crops post-cereal, and use modern BCN-tolerant beet where egg counts exceed 2 g⁻¹ soil.

3 · Weather Hazards & How to Mitigate Them

Drought & Heat

• Typical 10–25 % yield drag; growth stalls above 30 °C.
• Boost soil organic matter, subsoil for depth, aim for full canopy by late June, and—if possible—apply a single 25–50 mm irrigation in late June/early July on light land.

Excess Rain / Flooding

• Beets survive about 5–7 days underwater before root death.
• Keep drains/ditches clear, harvest low fields first, pump standing water fast, and send flood-damaged roots directly to the factory.

Hard Frosts

• Freeze-thaw can ruin roots within 48 h.
• Lift high-risk blocks before Christmas, straw-insulate clamps, leave canopy intact as insulation, and rush frosted roots to processing.

4 · Five-Point Action Checklist

1. Stack traits – choose varieties with virus, CLS, and BCN tolerance for risky fields.
2. Monitor smarter – AphidWatch, SporeNet, pheromone traps; act on thresholds, not dates.
3. Rotate chemistry – three distinct aphid modes + a sturdy two-spray fungicide block.
4. Stay weather-aware – adjust drilling, irrigation, harvest order, and clamp protection ahead of extreme events.
5. Keep learning – follow BBRO bulletins and local trials; tweak tactics as the season unfolds.

Links & Resources

• BBRO AphidWatch & SporeNet – bbro.co.uk
• NFU Sugar Bulletin – nfuonline.com
• Revystar XE label & timing – BASF UK
• 2025 Recommended List & new tolerant varieties – breeders’ sites / BBRO