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Threats to sugarbeets in Red River Valley

The sugarbeet growing season in the Red River Valley is off to its fastest start in recent memory.  Mohamed Khan is a sugarbeet specialist for North Dakota State University and University of Minnesota Extension and says as temperatures warm up this week, the threat of disease increases.

“If it becomes warm, we have to keep our fingers crossed because there is a disease called aphanomyces root rot.  That can be more damaging when it’s saturated and warm.”

Khan tells Brownfield most sugarbeet seeds now have treatments to protect against disease until the natural resistance of the plant kicks in.

Weeds also pose a threat to sugarbeet acres and wet fields have kept growers from spraying.

“In the next week or two, as soon as it dries up, growers will need to get control of their weeds.  Most areas, if they don’t have issues with herbicide-resistant weeds, those will be easily taken care of with glyphosate.”

Resistance is becoming a problem for sugarbeet growers in southern Minnesota he says, and suggests targeting weeds when they are small to reduce the threat to the developing crop.