OFFICIAL CODED TRIALS
Where Great Sugar Begins
Bred for Results. Bred for Growth.
The American Crystal Sugar Company trial program is a critical part of our efforts to deliver reliable, quality sugar to the world. Our seed selection process begins with detailed, high-quality data backed with real-world growing experience.
2023 Official Coded Variety Trials
Variety Selector
The Variety Selector is intended to assist growers in selecting appropriate seed varieties by identifying varieties with characteristics that are known to be consistent with the information provided by the grower.
View Official Trial Location Sites
Results
Results from the Official Variety Trial sites were excellent overall. Planting dates were around ten days later than typical but stands in the trials were good at most locations. Eleven sites were used for variety approval calculations. The Averill site was abandoned due to very poor stand establishment from soil crusting. Several sites had moisture stress during the growing season, but rainfall toward the end of the growing season created some challenging harvest conditions. Wet, heavy soil along with some smaller roots at Humboldt, MN resulted in some harvest loss which increased variability and reduced reliability of the data, so results from Humboldt were not used in approval numbers. Rhizoctonia crown and root rot was minimal in 2023. Revenue calculations in 2023 are based on a hypothetical $50.09 payment (5-year rolling average) at 17.5% sugar and 1.5% SLM not considering hauling or production costs.
Fusarium ratings are from naturally infested sites at Moorhead and Sabin, MN. Rhizoctonia crown and root rot ratings are from inoculated nurseries at Crookston and Saginaw, MI (BSDF). Aphanomyces root rot ratings are from the naturally infested nursery at Shakopee (KWS), MN. The Red River Valley sites were too dry to develop Aphanomyces disease pressure. As a result, there are no yield results under Aphanomyces conditions for 2023. Cercospora leafspot ratings are from inoculated nurseries at Foxhome and Randolph (KWS), MN and Saginaw, MI (BSDF) as well as a non-inoculated nursery at East Grand Forks, MN. Cercospora ratings from all four sites were highly correlated, but ratings from Randolph (KWS) were not included in approval numbers as hail damage put an end to the plot in late July before severity of disease could increase. Root aphid ratings are from a greenhouse assay at Shakopee, MN (KWS). The Longmont, CO root aphid nursery (Magno) had high rainfall and soil moisture resulting in little to no root aphid pressure.
2023 harvest conditions were challenging at some locations, but beets dug well at most locations. Soil moisture levels were dry at the beginning of harvest, but widespread rainfall in late September made conditions more difficult at later harvested sites. Wet, heavy soil conditions at Humboldt would not allow the lifter to dig deep enough to get smaller roots present at that site leading to harvest loss.
The 2023 data have been combined with previous years’ data and results are enclosed. Bolter data is presented as the number of bolters observed at a location for each variety. Results for the yield trials from individual sites are available on the internet.
Conventional trials were not planted in the 2023 OVT trials. Conventional varieties that were approved for 2020-2023 sales are permitted to continue in 2024 sales.
More detailed information will be available later in the Sugarbeet Research and Extension Reports (www.sbreb.org). Additional data including individual yield trial results and agronomic procedures are also on the ACSC web site.
Click here to open a pdf file with the following 2023 Grower Info:
- List of varieties approved for sale to ACSC growers
- Multi-year performance of RR varieties from all sites
- Performance of RR varieties under Aphanomyces conditions (data only from 2020)
- Performance of conventional varieties from three sites (2017-2019)
- Disease ratings for all nurseries (varieties tested in 2023)
- Root Aphid rating/evaluation
- Trial sites, disease observations and agronomic information from all trial locations
- Seed treatments applied to seed used in the official coded variety trials
Download 2023 Grower Info in Excel Format
Links to 2023 data only follow:
Plot Procedures
Yield trials were planted to stand at 4.5 inches. Starter fertilizer (10-34-0) was applied in-furrow (3 GPA in 6 GPA total volume) in all yield trials. Plots were planted crosswise (90°) to the cooperators’ normal farming operations, where possible. Plot row lengths for all official trials were maintained at 46 feet with about 40 feet harvested (25 feet harvested at Climax due to removal of gaps from a planter malfunction). Planting was performed with a 12-row SRES vacuum planter. The GPS controlled planter gave good single seed spacing which facilitated emergence counting. Seed companies had the option of treating seed with an Aphanomyces seed treatment, insecticide and a Rhizoctonia seed treatment fungicide. Emergence counts were taken on 24 feet of each plot. Multiple seedlings were counted as a single plant if they emerged less than one inch apart. The stands in all yield trials were refined by removing doubles (multiple seedlings less than 1.5 inch apart) by hand but were not further reduced.
Roundup PowerMAX 3 with Class Act (surfactant) and full rates of fungicides were applied using a pickup sprayer driven down the alleys. Two applications of Roundup (25 oz) were made at the 2-4 and 6-10 leaf stages. A third application of Roundup (20 oz) was made at Reynolds and Foxhome at row closure. Hand weeding was used where necessary. All yield trials were treated with AZteroid in-furrow at planting (5.7 oz) and Quadris in a band during the 6-10 leaf stage (10 oz) for Rhizoctonia control. Treatments used for Cercospora control in 2023 included Inspire XT/Manzate Max, Agri Tin/T-Methyl, Proline/Manzate Max, Manzate Max, and Priaxor/Agri Tin. Ground spraying was conducted by ACSC technical staff using 20 GPA and 75-80 psi.
Roundup Ready varieties with commercial seed were planted in four-row plots with six replicates. The RR experimental entries were planted in two-row plots with four replicates.
All plot rows were measured for total length after approximately 3.5 feet at each end were removed at the end of August, with skips greater than 60 inches being measured for adjustment purposes. Harvest was performed with one custom six-row harvester with increased cleaning capacity. All harvested beets of each plot were used for yield determination while one sample (approximately 20 lbs) was obtained from each plot for sugar and impurity analysis. Quality analysis was performed at the ACSC Technical Services quality lab in Moorhead.
Varieties were planted in nurseries in Minnesota, Michigan, and Colorado to evaluate varieties for disease and insect susceptibility. ACSC adjusts the Cercospora, Aphanomyces, Rhizoctonia and Fusarium nursery data each year to provide a consistent target for variety approval criteria.
Before purchasing seed, please check to make sure the varieties you are buying are on the current approved list. In accordance with the grower contract, the cooperative has the option to refuse beets of a non-approved variety. If you have questions, please contact the ACSC Technical Services Center or your ACSC Agriculture Department.