The Effect of Sugar Beet Seed Priming on Sugar Beet Yield and Weed Suppressive Ability

For optimal development in the field, sugar beets require fast emergence and rapid establishment of a homogenous stand. Environmental influences such as low soil temperatures or crusting of the soil surface usually slow down crop emergence and early development. Priming of the sugar beet seeds has proven to be a cost-effective method facilitating the rapid formation of a dense crop stand. Market penetration of the seed priming technology is variable. It ranges from very high in Western Europe and the USA to minimal in Eastern Europe. In this study, one commercial activated sugar beet variety was analysed under controlled climatic conditions in the growth chamber, in the greenhouse and in a field environment. Under controlled conditions in petri-dishes and in the greenhouse, seed priming significantly accelerated seed germination and reduced the time until the maximum number of sugar beet plants had emerged from 12 days to 6 days after seeding. In the field however, no significant effect of seed priming on sugar beet emergence was observed. Weed density, weed biomass and relative weed cover were similar in the activated and non-activated seed treatments indication that seed priming did not increase competitive ability of sugar beets. Yields of both treatment were equal. Seed priming seems to be only beneficial under controlled and optimal growing conditions