Keeping dirt out of sugarbeet piles will be especially important as growers prepare for the full harvest campaign. NDSU Extension Sugarbeet Plant Pathologist Eric Branch said wet harvest conditions can make cleaning beets more difficult. Branch said reducing tare soil offers an immediate benefit, but clean beets can also improve storability. Soil-borne organisms and bacteria and fungi associated with roots and tare soil can contribute to storage rot. Recent rainfall will help replenish soil moisture for next year, but Branch said the moisture comes at a difficult time for the current crop. “The rain is a pain in the short-term,” Branch told RRFN. “In some respects it’s a little too late, but but of course moisture is is going to benefit the region in the long run.”
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