Influence of Various Forms of Foliar Application on Root Yield and Technological Quality of Sugar Beet

• Main Authors: Arkadiusz Artyszak, Dariusz Gozdowski
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
• Series: Agriculture
• Subjects: foliar fertilization; Beta vulgaris; orthosilicic acid; silica nanoparticles; calcium silicate
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/8/693

The Green Deal adopted by the European Commission assumes a significant reduction in the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. It is necessary to search for environmentally safe technologies that will prevent a reduction in crop yield. One of such methods, which was examined in the study, is the foliar application of silicon, which can have a positive effect on root yield and its quality. In the period 2017–2019, a field experiment was carried out in which the effectiveness of the application of various forms of silicon (orthosilicic acid, a mixture of orthosilicic and polysilicic acid and calcium silicate) in sugar beet cultivation was assessed. The applied treatments of foliar application increased the root yield by 10.7–11.7%, the biological sugar yield by 8.4–12% and the pure sugar yield by 7.2–11.8% as compared to the control treatment. The differences between the individual treatments in terms of these characteristics were insignificant. Their impacts on the technological quality of roots (content of sugar, α-amino nitrogen, potassium and sodium) were different.