Description
Sugar beet is a conical, white, fleshy root with a flat crown. The plant consists of the sugar beet root and a rosette of leaves. Sugar is formed through a process of photosynthesis in the leaves, and it is then stored in the root. Sugar can represent between 15% and 21% of the sugar beet root’s total weight; however, depending on the cultivar and growing conditions, the sugar content can vary from 12 to above 20 percent.
The root of the beet (taproot) contains 75 percent water and the rest is dry matter. The dry matter is about 5 percent pulp and about 75 percent sugar. This pulp, insoluble in water and mainly composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and pectin, is used in animal feed. Sugar is the primary value of sugar beet cash crop. The by-products of the sugar beet crop such as pulp and molasses add another 10 percent to the value of the harvest.
Sugar beet grows exclusively in the temperate zone, in contrast to sugar cane which grows exclusively in the tropical and subtropical zones. The beet, unlike sugar cane, grows below the ground. The average weight of sugar beet ranges between one and two pounds. Sugar beet foliage has a rich, brilliant green color and grows to a height of about 14 inches. The leaves are numerous and broad and grow in a tuft from the crown of the beet, which is usually level with or just above the ground surface.
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