Sfecla de zahăr - sugar beet

1. GENERAL

SUGAR BEET -Beta vulgaris saccharifera -is a ierbaceae plant belonging to the family (Chenopodiaceae.).

Origin of sugar beet is not well known. We know that the beets that we know came from the White Silesian beet, a variety selected by Archard, the late eighteenth century. The first organized beet crops on a large scale have occurred in France in 1811 to 32,000 ha as a result of an economic struggle that Napoleon is leading against England.

Beet is a biennial herbaceous plant with long thick main root .Under normal conditions, the development cycle includes two seasons, each period is occurring in a year.

In the first year of vegetation the root and leaves are forming, and in the second year flowering shoots are growing, there are flowering, fertilization and seed formation, the plant becoming a “semicer”, ie seeds producing.

In the first year of vegetation, beet seeds from the first year of vegetation are processed.

Economic Importance

From the world production of 118, 3 million tonnes of sugar as is obtained in recent years, 31% is resulting from beet processing (36.5 million tonnes), beetroot can be used in the alcohol industry, where 100 kg of root 17% sugar can get 10 -11 liters of absolute alcohol.

Leaves and parcels represent 40-45 % of the total harvest and are used in feed intended for animal feed.

Molasses - brown viscous liquid is 4-5% by weight of processed roots and has a sugar content of 50%, 20% organic sugarless substances, 10% minerals, 20% water.

It is used for extraction of ethyl alcohol, butanol, acetone, food yeast, citric acid.

Noodles-800 kg per tonne of beet.

Sludge - results of filter presses , contains 92.5% CaCO 3 (calcium carbonate) and 2.15% Mg (OH) 2 - mg hydroxide.

2. MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF SUGAR BEET

Sugar beet root consists of:

- head or epicotil - bearing portion and leaves;

- neck or chump, respectively hipocotil;

- root body or rizocorp;

- terminal defect derived from the roots;

On the beet body are two grooves (on one side and another) from which lateral roots come out, which stretch to the top of stalks.

3. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF BEET

Sugar beet, mature, healthy, with a mass of 300 - 1000 g and more, contains water, sucrose, pectic substances (protopectină), cellulose and hemicellulose, protein substances, non-protein substances with nitrogen and without nitrogen and ash (minerals).

4. FACTORS INFLUENCING THE QUALITY OF BEET

These factors are represented by:

a) Genetic factors that determine shape and size of body root, root branching degree, the root body mass. In the category of genetic factors enter: seed quality, variety features or cultivated beet hybrid.

b) Pedoclimatic factors are determined by the soil features and the specific climate features in the area of cultivation. These factors determine the production of beet and her health.

c) Phyto factors, namely the cultivation and maintenance technology of culture. These factors determine, also, the production of beet sugar and its health.

d) Factors that relate to the harvesting method that determine:

-The degree of mechanical injury of beet;

- Impurity content of the beet which in turn is dependent on the weather and how to harvest harvest;