Five new varieties have been added to the BBRO/NIAB Recommended List of Sugar Beet Varieties for 2011. All new additions have rhizomania tolerance, with two also having tolerance to beet cyst nematode (BCN).
From KWS comes Rosalinda KWS with a very high yield potential and Annouschka KWS which incorporates BCN tolerance. Valeska, from Nickerson Sugar Beet Seed Ltd, also shows a very high yield potential. Elsoms’ SESVANDEHAVE-bred Cheetah couples high yields with relatively high sugar content levels.
And finally Sentinel is a new BCN-tolerant variety from Syngenta that shows a higher yield potential, under non-infected conditions, than the other BCN tolerant varieties on the Recommended List.
“There are now three BCN-tolerant varieties with a special recommendation for use under BCN-infested conditions only,” explains NIAB’s Simon Kerr
“In independent tests in Europe BCN-tolerance breeding technology has so far been demonstrated to give yield benefits under infested conditions. We believe that with tighter rotations BCN could be an increasing problem in England so it will be interesting to see how Sentinel performs on infested fields.”
With increases in rhizomania levels NIAB advises growers that it is essential that the risk of disease is assessed when choosing varieties.
“When inspecting this year’s crops, plants from any suspect areas should be sent to the Broom’s Barn Rhizomania Clinic for diagnosis to guide future variety selection and control strategies,” says Mr Kerr.
In outbreak areas, particularly Norfolk and Suffolk, the disease is so widespread that resistant varieties are essential. Elsewhere, disease levels need to be carefully assessed before a final variety choice is made.
2011 BBRO/NIAB Recommended List of Sugar Beet Varieties
The list will be published in full in the June edition of the British Sugar Beet Review.
- Recommended varieties (R) – after initial provisional recommendation, varieties are tested for a minimum of three years with commercial seed before being considered for transfer to the recommended (R) category.
R varieties: Bobcat (Rh), Bullfinch (Rh), Opta, Pernilla
- Provisionally Recommended varieties (PR) – tested for a minimum of three years before adding to the list in PR1 and then also tested over a minimum further two years before potential promotion to the R group.
PR4 varieties: Goya (Rh), Trinita
PR3 varieties: Carissima (Rh) ¸ Levi (Rh), Mandella, Sophia (Rh), Topper
PR2 varieties: Aimanta (Rh), Saracen,
PR1 varieties: Cheetah (Rh), Rosalinda KWS (Rh), Valeska (Rh),
- Provisionally Recommended for Special Use (PRS) – Varieties may be recommended for special use if they have special attribute(s), which justifies limited use but are inferior to recommended varieties in other important characters.
The following varieties have claimed beet cyst nematode tolerance. Recommended for use only in situations where infestation with beet cyst nematode has been confirmed by a soil test.
PRS2 variety: Fiorenza KWS (Rh)
PRS1 varieties: Annouschka KWS (Rh), Sentinel (Rh)
For further information contact:
Simon Kerr, head of field trials operations,
NIAB-TAG
T: 01223 342292
E: simon.kerr [at] niab.com ()
Issued by:
Ros Lloyd,
FrontFoot Communications
T: 01487 831425
E: ros.lloyd [at] frontfoot.uk.com ()