Crop Substitution on UK Sugar Beet Farms and its Effects on the Environment: A Multi-Product Cost Function Approach

This paper analyzes the effect that the imminent reform of the EU sugar beet regime will have on United Kingdom (UK) sugar beet farms. Specifically, we estimate a multi-product cost function to analyze the effect the changes on the sugar beet price support and quota will have on the crop allocation of sugar beet farms and their aggregate use of inputs. Based on these estimates we discuss the implications that changes in the crop patterns may have on farm environmental variables such as soil loss and groundwater pollution.Agricultural and Food Policy,

The Global Welfare Effects of GM Sugar Beet under Changing Sugar Policies

Since most of the recent agricultural biotechnology innovations have been developed by private companies, the central focus of societal interest is on the distribution of the gains from these technologies among all stakeholders. In a partial equilibrium model, assuming perfect corporate pricing strategies given the heterogeneous population of potential adopters, we model the worldwide introduction of GM sugar beet. The introduction is modelled under both the old and new CMO for sugar in the EU. We see GM sugar beet could bring great benefits to both consumers in the world and sugar beet producers even when the innovation is protected by intellectual property rights and the innovator uses his restricted monopoly to the full extend.GM, sugar beet, partial equilibrium, Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries,

UK Sugar Beet Farm Productivity Under Different Reform Scenarios: A Farm Level Analysis

The purpose of this paper is to study the effect that the imminent reform in the European Union (EU) sugar regime may have on farm productivity in the United Kingdom (UK). We perform the analysis on a sample of sugar beet farms representative of all the UK sugar beet regions. To estimate the changes in productivity, we estimate a multi-output cost function representing the cropping part of the farm, which is the component that would be mostly affected by the sugar beet reform. We use this cost function to compute the new allocation of outputs and inputs after the changes in the sugar beet quota and price support. This are subsequently used to compute measures of total factor productivity. Our results show slight decreases in the productivity at the individual farm level under both quota and price support reduction. However, when considering the aggregate level, the reduction in the price support shows significant increases in productivity, in contrast to the results obtained from a reduction in quota.EU sugar reform, UK agriculture, UK sugar beet production, multi-output cost function, total factor productivity, Agricultural and Food Policy, Productivity Analysis, Q00, D24,

Problems and prospects of sugar beet cultivation in Kazakhstan (Changed title according to reviewers' comments)

Received: May 21st, 2023 ; Accepted: August 5th, 2023 ; Published: October 24th, 2023Purpose - to ensure the food security of Kazakhstan, domestic sugar industry should aim at a significant reduction in import dependence and transition to self-sufficiency. The share of domestic sugar from sugar beet in Kazakhstan is 7%. Design/methodology/approach - review indicating the main problems in the sugar beet production in Kazakhstan for the purpose of reimagining the domestic sugar beet industry to reduce dependence on sugar import. We analyzed the dynamics of sugar beet cultivation in Kazakhstan over the past 20 years and detected a sharp reduction in the sugar beet production. Findings - we have identified 10 problems in sugar beet production in Kazakhstan and determined the necessary targeted solutions. We consider the main direction to be the development of scientific methodology for sugar beet production (breeding of new highly productive disease-resistant cultivars, improvement of sugar beet protection system, efficient crop rotation). The most notable problems included in this paper are small-scale marketability of sugar beet farms, infectious diseases of sugar beet, water supply shortages, use of outdated agricultural technologies, high cost of imported sugar beet seeds. Originality/value - The present paper includes a full analysis of current problems in sugar beet production in Kazakhstan

A morphogenetic crop model for sugar-beet (Beta vulgaris L.)

This paper is the instructions for the proceeding of the International Symposium on Crop. Sugar beet crop models have rarely taken into account the morphogenetic process generating plant architecture despite the fact that plant architectural plasticity plays a key role during growth, especially under stress conditions. The objective of this paper is to develop this approach by applying the GreenLab model of plant growth to sugar beet and to study the potential advantages for applicative purposes. Experiments were conducted with husbandry practices in 2006. The study of sugar beet development, mostly phytomer appearance, organ expansion and leaf senescence, allowed us to define a morphogenetic model of sugar beet growth based on GreenLab. It simulates organogenesis, biomass production and biomass partitioning. The functional parameters controlling source-sink relationships during plant growth were estimated from organ and compartment dry masses, measured at seven different times, for samples of plants. The fitting results are good, which shows that the introduced framework is adapted to analyse source-sink dynamics and shoot-root allocation throughout the season. However, this approach still needs to be fully validated, particularly among seasons

BIODIVERSITY VERSUS TRANSGENIC SUGAR BEET: THE ONE EURO QUESTION

The decision of whether to release transgenic crops in the EU is one subject to flexibility, uncertainty, and irreversibility. We analyse the case of herbicide tolerant sugar beet and reassess whether the 1998 de facto moratorium of the EU on transgenic crops for sugar beet was correct from a cost-benefit perspective using a real option approach. We show that the decision was correct, if households value possible annual irreversible costs of herbicide tolerant sugar beet with about 1 E or more on average. On the other hand, the total net private reversible benefits forgone if the de facto moratorium is not lifted are in the order of 169 Mio E per year.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Sugar Beet Cultivation in the Tropics and Subtropics: Challenges and Opportunities

Sugar beet, an important sugar crop, is particularly cultivated in humid regions to produce beet sugar, fulfilling about 25% of the world’s sugar requirement, supplementing cane sugar. However, sugar beet is not well adopted in the farming system of the tropics and subtropics, which is largely due to the historically well-established production technology of sugarcane and the lower awareness among local growers of sugar beet cultivation. Thus, the poor understanding of pest and disease management and the lack of processing units for sugar beet partially hinder farmers in the large-scale adaptation of sugar beet in the tropics and subtropics. Recent climatic developments have drawn attention to sugar beet cultivation in those regions, considering the low water demand and about half the growing duration (5–6 months) in contrast to sugarcane, sparing agricultural land for an extra crop. Nevertheless, a considerable knowledge gap exists for sugar beet when closely compared to sugarcane in tropical and subtropical growth conditions. Here, we examined the leverage of existing published articles regarding the significance and potential of sugar beet production in the tropics and subtropics, covering its pros and cons in comparison to sugarcane. The challenges for sugar beet production have also been identified, and possible mitigation strategies are suggested. Our assessment reveals that sugar beet can be a promising sugar crop in tropical and subtropical regions, considering the lower water requirements and higher salt resistance

Biodiversity versus Transgenic Sugar Beet: The One Euro Question

The decision of whether to release transgenic crops in the EU is one subject to flexibility, uncertainty, and irreversibility. We analyse the case of herbicide tolerant sugar beet and reassess whether the 1998 de facto moratorium of the EU on transgenic crops for sugar beet was correct from a cost-benefit perspective using a real option approach. We show that the decision was correct, if households value possible annual irreversible costs of herbicide tolerant sugar beet with about 1 or more on average. On the other hand, the total net private reversible benefits forgone if the de facto moratorium is not lifted are in the order of 169 Mio per year.Crop Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Mechanical weed control in transplanted sugar beet

Results from two years experiments with mechanical weed control in transplanted organic sugar beet

Starch biosynthetic genes and enzymes are expressed and active in the absence of starch accumulation in sugar beet tap-root

BACKGROUND: Starch is the predominant storage compound in underground plant tissues like roots and tubers. An exception is sugar beet tap-root (Beta vulgaris ssp altissima) which exclusively stores sucrose. The underlying mechanism behind this divergent storage accumulation in sugar beet is currently not fully known. From the general presence of starch in roots and tubers it could be speculated that the lack in sugar beet tap-roots would originate from deficiency in pathways leading to starch. Therefore with emphasis on starch accumulation, we studied tap-roots of sugar beet using parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) as a comparator. RESULTS: Metabolic and structural analyses of sugar beet tap-root confirmed sucrose as the exclusive storage component. No starch granules could be detected in tap-roots of sugar beet or the wild ancestor sea beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima). Analyses of parsnip showed that the main storage component was starch but tap-root tissue was also found to contain significant levels of sugars. Surprisingly, activities of four main starch biosynthetic enzymes, phosphoglucomutase, ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, starch synthase and starch branching enzyme, were similar in sugar beet and parsnip tap-roots. Transcriptional analysis confirmed expression of corresponding genes. Additionally, expression of genes involved in starch accumulation such as for plastidial hexose transportation and starch tuning functions could be determined in tap-roots of both plant species. Conclusion: Considering underground storage organs, sugar beet tap-root upholds a unique property in exclusively storing sucrose. Lack of starch also in the ancestor sea beet indicates an evolved trait of biological importance. Our findings in this study show that gene expression and enzymatic activity of main starch biosynthetic functions are present in sugar beet tap-root during storage accumulation. In view of this, the complete lack of starch in sugar beet tap-roots is enigmatic