Effect of Super-Adsorbent and Irrigation Levels on Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris)

To Investigate the effect of super-adsorbent and irrigation levels on quantitative and qualitative characteristics Rastar cultivar of sugar beet a split plots experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design with three replicas was conducted at the Agricultural University of Mahabad in 2017. Irrigation in three levels (Irrigation after 60, 120 and 180 mm evaporation from class A pan) is assigned to main plats and super-absorbents A200 in four levels (0, 50, 150 and 200 kg.ha-1) to the subplots. The simple effects of irrigation regime and superabsorbent on all traits, except for the coefficient of sugar extraction, was significant. The interaction of treatments were significant on the dry weight of shoot, sugar content, root yield, and sugar yield and white sugar yield. In this research, the highest leaf area index, root length, and leaf relative water content and the lowest amount of white sugar content belonged to irrigation after 60 mm evaporation. Application of 50 and 150 kg.ha-1 super-absorbent highly increased leaf area index, root length, and leaf relative water content while it decrease the percent of white sugar content. The highest shoot dry weight (3.97 t.ha-1), root yield (69.35 t.ha-1), sugar yield (10.51 t.ha-1) and white sugar yield (9.39 t.ha-1) and the lowest percentage of sugar (15.20%) caused by irrigation interval after 60 mm evaporation and using 200 kg.ha-1 super-absorbent. Interactions due to irrigation and use of super-absorbent showed that there was the non-significant difference between irrigation regime after 60 mm in control treatment (not applicable super-absorbent) with the application of 50, 150 and 200 kg.ha-1super-adsorbent in irrigation regime after 120 mm and application of 150 and 200 kg.ha-1super-absorbent in irrigation regime after 180 mm. Thus, using of 150 kg.ha-1 super-absorbent in irrigation regime after 180 mm evaporation can have similar white sugar yield as it was under irrigation regime after 60 mm in control treatment (not applicable super-absorbent) while saving about 8650 m3 per hectare by using this treatment.