Autumn-Sown Sugar Beet Cultivation in Semiarid Regions

Abstract

The sugar beet has long been grown as a spring crop in relatively cool parts of the temperate zones of the world. However, in recent decades, its role in sugar production has led to its cultivation as an autumn crop in warm regions of South America, Africa (Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia), the Middle East (Iraq and parts of Iran), and even the south Europe (Spain). Limited water resources in arid and semiarid regions have caused the autumn sown sugar beet to be extended to higher latitudes areas. Coinciding the period of autumn sown sugar beet growth with autumn and winter rainfall leads to the reduction in water consumption and an increase in water use efficiency for sugar production. However, expanding the area under autumn sugar beet cultivation to semiarid regions of higher latitudes faces three main challenges: the occurrence of bolting, increasing the risk of cold and frost stresses, and reducing its yield compared with spring sown sugar beet. Research in this field has shown that by choosing the proper cultivation area as well as the correct planting date, using bolting-resistant cultivars, and accepting the reasonable risk of relative yield reduction, autumn cultivation of sugar beet in arid and semiarid regions can be expanded. Autumn sugar beet cultivation advantages are increase in the sugar factories operation time, sugar production, employment rate,  farmers' income, and saving about 50% in irrigation.