Cultivation

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) is grown in regions with a moderate and subtropical climate. The main producing countries are France, Germany, USA and Russia. In 2008, almost 227 million tons of sugar beet were harvested worldwide.

Since the middle of the 18th century sugar beet has been developed to yield a higher sugar content. This increased from originally 7% to about 18% today.

For a long period, sugarcane represented the only plant source of sugar. Today, sugar beet provides about 45% of the world's sugar production.

Utilisation

Sugar beet is the base for different foodstuffs and ingredients:

• sugar in a range of different forms (granulated sugar, icing sugar, rock sugar, gelling sugar)
• sugar is used to produce artificial honey (inverted sugar syrup), caramel and caramel colouring which is used as a sugar coloring agent.
• sugar beet syrup, also known as sugar beet molasses, is a thick syrup containing up to 60% sugar produced from cleaned and boiled beet.

By-products of sugar manufacture:

• molasses: used as animal feed and in culture media for the biotechnological production of alcohol, citric acidand nutritional yeast
• sugar beet pulp: animal feed

Energy crops, renewable primary products

• biofuel ethanol and biomethane
• sugar as raw material for the chemical and cosmetic industries
• biodegradable material

Gene technology: aims of research and development

Cultivation characteristics

Weed control

• herbicide resistance: weeds represent a great problem in cultivation of sugar beet. Usually these are combated by several applications of herbicides. With the utilisation of herbicide-resistant sugar beet and the complementary herbicide controlling weed should be easier, more ecologically friendly and more economical.

Resistance against pathogens

• virus resistance: in Germany a genetically modified strain of sugar beet was developed in the 1990s, which shows resistance against the rhizomania virus. In the meantime conventionally grown virus-resistant varieties are on the market.

• fungal resistance

Resistance to pests

• nematoderesistance

Adaptation to climate and location factors

• tolerance to drought

Product characteristics

Modified composition of components

• production of oligofructose or inulin (fibre with health-promoting effect) in the sugar beet

Renewable primary products

Modified composition

• production of basic materials for degradable plastics ("bioplastic")

Plant development

• improvement of processing and storage characteristics

Improvement of processing and storage characteristics

Utilisation of GM sugar beet