THE POSSIBILITIES OF AFFECTING THE YIELD AND QUALITY OF SUGAR BEET BY NON-ROOT NUTRITION

In the course of 2003-2004, experiments were conducted in which the effect of selected fertilizer designed for non-root nutrition of sugar beet was monitored. The results showed that the effect of the leaf nutrition is variable depending upon weather conditions. The time of application was the key factor that had direct influence on the yield in 2003 when less precipitation occurred. A positive effect was achieved only after the first application of the leaf fertilizer (prior the beginning of crop cover) when an increase in the bulb yield by 12-18% was attained (compared to the control). In 2004, all variants with the leaf application of fertilizers provided a higher bulb yield (by 8-14%). However, the higher bulb yield went hand in hand with a slightly lower digestion. The polarization sugar yield per hectare was not considerably affected. The content of molasses-creating substances slightly increased in most variants with foliar application of fertilizers. Additionally, the content of molasses-creating substances corresponded with the bulb yield increase in most cases. It was confirmed that a balanced nutrition is the key factor for plants as it reduces the effects of abiotic stresses, mainly drought.