The Effect of Manure on Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) Cultivar Laetitia

Declining Soil fertility in many developing countries, duo to continuous cropping systems and soil nutrient depletion without proper replacement has reduced soil production capacity. Organic matter improves the physical and chemical properties of soil, as well as increases the yield and the quality of the crops to achieve a sustainable agriculture. Sugar beet is one of the strategic crops in the West Azerbaijan region and is widely cultivated. Therefore, application of organic fertilizer in addition to increasing organic matter reduces soil bulk density and improves aggregates forming as well as water holding capacity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of manure application on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of sugar beet.
This research was carried out a randomized complete block design with six levels of manure application including 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 t ha-1 with 4 replications. Physicochemical properties of soil (calcium carbonate equilibrium, pH, OC, EC, micro and macro elements, soil texture) and manure (micro and macronutrients, OC, pH, EC) was determined by standard methods. So, quantitative and qualitative characteristics of sugar beet including total sugar content, pure sugar content, and molasses sugar content, Na, K and N content in root, alkalinity, sugar extraction coefficient, root yield and pure sugar and total sugar yield were determined in sugar beet samples.
Studied manure contain significant amounts of organic matter and available nutrients for plant. Application of different amounts of manure on all parameters except potassium was significant. The results showed that application of 50 ton ha-1 of manure significantly (31.98%) increased root yield compared to control. The percentage of sugar decreased due to the manure application while increasing root yield compensate this reduction. In addition, application of manure caused reduction in sugar extract coefficient and alkalinity of beet root. Mean comparison showed that manure application increased net sugar yield. The highest (10.48 t ha-1) and lowest net sugar yield (8.41 t ha-1) were observed in 50 t ha-1 and control treatments, respectively.
According to the results of this study, using manure in sustainable agricultural system can increase root yield. In spite of decreasing sugar percentage due to manure application, beet root yield significantly increased. Therefore, the use of manure in agricultural systems improve soil fertility and lead to sustainable production through declining fertilizer use.