Are You Kidding Me? Dryland Sugarbeet Production In Semi-Arid Western Nebraska.

Sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) is a common irrigated crop in the Nebraska Panhandle, eastern Colorado and Wyoming. There are occasions when it is difficult for growers to locate landlords willing to rent irrigated land for sugarbeet production. Although non-irrigated land may be available for rent, there is no history of dryland sugarbeet yields or production practices in this region. The primary objectives of this study were to determine yield potential and optimum plant population for no-till dryland sugarbeet. Field studies using no-till and glyphosate-tolerant sugarbeets were conducted at 10 dryland sites in the Nebraska Panhandle from 2008 through 2010. Mean root yields averaged across varieties ranged from 14.7 to 58.7 Mg ha^-1, with regression analysis predicting a maximum root yield of 43.5 Mg ha^-1 at a plant density of 5.93 plants m^-2. Mean sugar concentrations ranged from 140 to 214 g kg^-1, and generally increased as plant population density increased. Mean sugar yields ranged from 2.3 to 9.52 Mg ha^-1, with regression analysis predicting a maximum sugar yield of 7.82 Mg ha^-1 at a plant density of 6.24 plants m^-2. No-till, dryland sugarbeet production appears to be feasible in semi-arid western Nebraska.