Bewaring van voederbieten : onderzoekingen over de betekenis van de grond, de bemesting en enkele andere cultuurmethoden voor de bewaarbaarheid van voederbieten = Storage of fodder beets

The following conclusions from experiments can be mentioned.

True pathogenous fungi and bacteria are of minor importance in storage. Clamp rot consists mainly of infection by secondary fungi and bacteria. The resistance of beets to these fungi depends on storage condition and on conditions during growth. Temperature and humidity are of importance during the storage of beets. If the temperature is below -3°C, beets freeze; if it is too high, respiratory losses are high and the beets soon start rotting. Beets dessicate easily and the storage quality of dessicated beets is poor.

Harvesting and cultural methods should be directed to the storage of well ripened, healthy and undamaged beets in the clamp. Beet rot usually begins at damaged places, therefore deep topping, damaging and wounding of beets should be prevented. Storage quality is improved by early sowing and late harvesting. N, K, Mg and Na dressing showed a more distinct effect on the keeping qualities than on the beet yield. P and B dressings, however, did not affect the storage quality.

On sandy soils in the Netherlands the storage quality and the yield may often be improved by rational fertilization.