Beetroot is also known as “garden beet”. It is sweet in taste and is healthy having antioxidant properties. It has medicinal values i.e. it is used to cure cancer and heart diseases. It can be grown easily and is ranked as top 10 vegetables grown in India.

Red beet grows best in loamy soil. It requires 9.5 pH of the soil. The crop also grows well in basic soil.

Detroit Dark Red: Variety having small, glossy leaves with round shape roots having deep red skin. Ready to harvest in 80-100days. Suitable for salad. Gives average yield of 72qtl/acre.

Crimson Globe: Medium size, bright green leaves. Roots are medium with red color skin. Gives average yield of 72qtl/acre. 

Crosby Egyptian: Roots are flat sphere shape. Ready to harvest in 55 to 60days after sowing. 

Early Wonder: Dark, reddish color roots. Ready to harvest in 55 to 60days.

Other state varieties:

Shubhra:The variety is developed in Sweden. It contains 18% of sucrose content and has impurity coefficient of 330. It gives an average yield of 56-62quintal/acre. In this variety, there is less chances of leaf spot disease.

Magna Poly: The variety is developed in Denmark which gives an average yield of 56-62quintal/acre. It contains 14-16% of sucrose content. 

Tribal:It is the foreign variety of red beet which gives an average yield of 40quintal/acre. It contains 14-16% of sucrose content and has 1178 impurity coefficient. 

IISR Compost:Released from Lucknow center. It gives an average yield of 37-40quintal/acre. It contains 14-18% of sucrose content. 

Romanskaya: Released from Russia. The variety gets ready in 140-150 days and it gives an average yield of 60-76quintal/acre. It contains 14-16% of sucrose content.

Ploughed land thoroughly followed by 3-4 harrowing to get fine tilth. For good seed production, land should be well prepared and contains appropriate moisture. Before last harrowing, land should be treated with Quinalphos @250ml /acre to protect crop from Cutworms, Termite and other insect-pests. 

Time of sowing:

It is cool season crop, in Maharashtra, beetroot is cultivated in Rabi as well as in kharif season.For Rabi season, complete sowing in October month and for Kharif season, complete sowing in June – July month.

Spacing: 

For beetroot sowing use row to row spacing of 30cm or 45cm and plant to plant spacing of 15cm or 20cm.

Sowing depth:

Sow the seed at depth of 2 to 2.5cm. 

Method of sowing:

• Seed drill

Seed rate:

Use seed rate of 2.8-4kg per acre.

Seed treatment:

Seeds are treated with Carbendazim 50WP or Thiram @2gm/kg before sowing. 

 Fertilizer Requirement (kg/acre):

Nutrient Requirement (kg/acre):

Use cow dung @40quintal/acre at the time of land preparation. Apply fertilizer dose of Nitrogen@24-30kg in the form of Urea@55-65kg, Phosphorus@40kg-50kg in the form of SSP @250kg-315kg and Potassium@24kg-28kg/acre in the form of Muriate of potash@40-50kg/acre. 

Apply full dose of Phosphorus and potash and half dose of Nitrogen at time of seed sowing. 

Apply remaining dose of nitrogen, four to six weeks after sowing.

Overall, beetcrop requires six to seven irrigations. First irrigation is given after 25 days of sowing and then next four irrigations are applied at the interval of 25 days and then rest of the irrigations is given at the interval of 20 days. 

First weeding is done, after 25-30 days of germination. Second weeding is done after 15-20 of first weeding. For weed control, 2-3 weeding’s are required.

•  Pests and their control: 

Beet webworm: If infestation is seen, then spray of Dimethoate 30EC @200ml/acre to get rid of webworm.

Weevil: If infestation is seen, then spray of Methyl Parathion @2.5kg/acre is to be done to get rid of this pest.

Aphids and Jassids: If infestation is seen, then spray of Chlorpyriphos 20EC @300ml/acre is to be done to get rid of aphids and jassids.

• Diseases and their control:

 Alternaria and Cercospora leaf spot: If infestation is seen then spraying of Mancozeb @ 400 grams in 100-130litre of water is done get rid of leaf spots.

Harvesting is done when the lower surface of leaves turns yellow and roots size reaches to 5 to 7cm diameter. Before 1-3 days of harvesting light irrigation is necessary. It gives an average yield of 30-40quintal/acre of beetroots and 5-10quintal/acre of green fodder.