Why Sunflowers Have No Place in Sugar Beet Crop Rotation: Experience of PP ‘Zakhidnyi Buh’
At PP ‘Zakhidnyi Buh’, the area under sugar beets currently amounts to 15,000 hectares. When considering the raw material zone, the enterprise controls about 35,000 hectares of this crop.
This is reported by AgroReview
Features of Sugar Beet Cultivation
According to the head of the enterprise, the technology for growing sugar beets involves many nuances. The main challenges include ensuring high-quality sowing, timely execution of the first four herbicide treatments, as well as at least four fungicide treatments. Proper storage of the harvest is also an important aspect due to the risk of pile rot. However, the issue of the sugar beet weevil in the region is not currently relevant.
The typical area under sugar beets at the enterprise has remained unchanged for several years and is 15,000 hectares. The crop rotation for 2026 remains stable: soybeans, corn, soft and hard wheat, rapeseed, barley, and sugar beets.
Yield and Scientific Approaches
In 2025, the yield of sugar beets at the enterprise reached 105 tons per hectare, while the average gross sugar yield was 15.5 tons per hectare. This is 8% more than in 2024. A slight increase in sugar content is also noted — 0.2% above the average level.
The officially planned areas for the main crops in 2026 are: soybeans — 18,000 ha, sugar beets — 16,500 ha, corn — 9,000 ha, soft wheat — 8,800 ha, hard wheat — 4,800 ha, rapeseed — 4,000 ha, barley — 3,000 ha, and forage crops — 300 ha.
As part of the collaboration with scientists, a consortium has been created to reduce the rotting of beets in piles. The economic effect of implementing this technology amounts to an additional 108 UAH per ton of sugar beets. The costs for the preparations do not exceed 20 UAH per ton. The enterprise is establishing a scientific school for growing crops in short-rotation crop rotations, involving consultants, graduate students, and PhD candidates.
“We are creating a scientific school for growing crops in short-rotation crop rotations.”
Within the R&D structure, there are four graduate students and a PhD candidate, while the head of the enterprise is preparing to defend a doctoral dissertation on sugar beets.
Crop Rotation and Crop Selection
Sugar beets leave a significant amount of nitrogen in the soil, even more than soybeans. In the case of early harvesting after beets, wheat can be sown, while late harvesting allows for soybeans or corn. According to specialists, sunflowers should not be included in the beet crop rotation. Among typical crop rotations, the following schemes prevail: wheat — soybeans — beets, soybeans — wheat — beets, beets — corn — soybeans.
Soybeans as a precursor for sugar beets have a 2% yield disadvantage compared to the grain group, making them less profitable. For sowing, RAGT Strube and BTS Betaseed seeds are used in a 50:50 ratio. Previously, products from other manufacturers were tested, but due to their instability to root rot and financial factors, the collaboration was abandoned. The latest beet hybrids are tested even before their official registration.
In 2026, the enterprise established cooperation with the Institute of Bioenergy Crops and Sugar Beets, so the Ruteniya hybrid will serve as a control for experiments. In addition to it, there are other hybrids in domestic breeding.
Sugar beets are the profile crop for PP ‘Zakhidnyi Buh’, around which the main activities of the farm are built.