Quality and quantity of sugar beet

Quality and quantity of sugar beet is a matter under control of different agronomic, breeding and technologic factors. These factors are influenced by environment and can not be evaluated easily. Assessment of all these factors in one plan is not possible and needs many projects. Development of a successful sugar beet variety with good root and sugar yield in farmer condition is utmost goal of sugar beet researchers and would be possible when quantity and quality factors and also agronomic factors of that have been considered. Since sugar beet varieties are hybrids, therefore, both parents should be considered in breeding programs. Development of varieties resistant to biotic and a biotic stresses will be successful if they produce acceptable yield in real condition. Regarding to the number of factors affecting quality and quantity of sugar beet commercial hybrids, in this plan has been focused more on genetic and breeding factors. The final goal of this plan is development of multigerm and monogerm varieties which in addition to good agronomic and technologic characteristics can produce maximum sugar yield per hectare. This plan has ١٦ projects that most of them are related to breeding of male or female parents involved in classic or resistant varieties production. Some genetic materials have been used in different projects to develop new hybrids which are under final assessments. In other materials characters such as resistance or male sterile maintenance should be first fixed then applied in hybrid development programs. Since success of a commercial variety depends more or less on its seed quality, some projects dedicated to study on agronomic and nutrition factors and their influence on quality and quantity of seed. Some important achievements of this plan are as follows: - Classifying of regions based on their climatic similarities and selection of reference station. According to this, Mashad represented for temperate region, ٧٠ Shiraz for semi warm region, Miandoab for semi cold region, Hamedan for cold region, Kerman for warm and dry region and Moghan selected as specific climate. - Apllying recurrent selection to keep genetic potential of tetraploid pollinators. - Direct production of hybrid seed in semi cold region which can reduce seed production costs. Evaluation of cutting effect showed that oversize seed ratio in the total seed will be decreased and most of the seeds will be in standard range. - Transferring of smoothness and round shape of root from red beet and fodder beet to sugar beet. After several generations of selection some full sib families were developed which were used for hybrid production. Two of the hybrids in addition to round and smooth root had good sugar yield in different trails. - Development of a diploid pollinator for normal condition using recurrent selection. Hybrids developed based on this pollinator showed good performance in different yield trails. - Development of ten tetraploid half sib families resistant to rhizomania disease which have been entered to hybrid production programs. - Breeding of two tetraploid pollinators and development of two triploid hybrids with good root and sugar yield in field comparison trails. - Breeding of full sib families resistant to rhizomania using recurrent selection. Their hybrids evaluation under infected conditions was hopeful and three hybrids were selected which two of them are under introduction process.