SUGAR BEET PRODUCTIVITY AS AFFECTED BY FOLIAR SPRAYING WITH METHANOL AND BORON

Abstract

Two field experiments were carried out at Kafr El-Garayda Village, Bialla Center, Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt during 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 seasons to study the effect of methanol and boron foliar spraying on growth, yield and quality of sugar beet. This aimed to study four aqueous methanol solutions control without 0, 15, 30 and 45% (v/v) sprayed three times during growth stages which occupied the vertical plots and four boron concentrations control without 0, 40, 80 and 120 ppm as boric acid applied as foliar spraying at two times during growth season and assigned in the horizontal plots. Results indicated that foliar application of 30% methanol solution significantly increased all studied characters i.e. total chlorophyll, leaf area/plant, foliage and root fresh weight, foliage and root length and root diameter, total soluble solids, sucrose and apparent purity percentages , root, top and sugar yields/ha, whereas harvest index was decreased. Moreover, increasing methanol concentration to 45% tended to decrease all above mentioned characters. Application of 80 ppm boron significantly improved root yield and its attributes and root quality, on contrarily harvest index was decreased. Maximum top, root, sugar yields/ha and root quality produced by foliar spraying of 30% methanol and 80 ppm boron.