Importance of breeding for the increase of sugar beet yield

In the past decades the yield of sugar beet has increased steadily. Worldwide and also in Germany the yield increase in commercial beets was lower compared to other agricultural crops such as cereals and maize. Different approaches to determine the breeding progress are presented. In cereals breeding progress was based on an increase of the harvest index, in maize due to improved stress tolerance. A comparison of old and new sugar beet varieties showed that increasing yields were related to a shift in assimilate partitioning with lower leaf and marc proportion in favour of sugar. About half of the yield increase and the improvement in quality of sugar beet can be attributed to breeding, while the other part is caused by improved cultivation management as well as changes in climatic conditions. Prospects for future yield increase are discussed.