Ridge cultivation of sugarbeet – recent experiences and experimental results from Germany

In the early 1990s several experiments on ridge cultivation of sugarbeet were conducted in Southern Germany, but lack of economic benefits resulted in cessation of activities. In the late 1990s farmers of tidal marsh areas close to the North Sea successfully adapted a ridge cultivation technique derived from carrot growing to sugarbeet crops. From 2004–2006 about 100 large-scale on-farm trials were run to investigate the effect of ridge cultivation compared to the regional standard of tillage on sugarbeet yield in three beet growing areas of Northern and Western Germany.

Recent ridge cultivation techniques are characterized by about 15 cm high, reconsolidated ridges. A variety of machine types is used, which have in common driven press rollers for ridge forming combined with a slightly modified commercial drill. At early and moderate sowing dates, ridge soil usually dried earlier and, thus, warmed up faster than conventionally tilled soil. Drying out of ridges could enhance the risk of poor field emergence. Ridge tillage was reported to accelerate and enhance early N supply to plants and, moreover, to cause more uniform and longer beet roots. In the regions of Uelzen/Holstein and East Westphalia, ridge cultivation increased beet yield by 5–10 % (sugar content unaffected), whereas in the Rhineland area average yield did not differ between tillage systems.

Economic appraisal of ridge cultivation is strongly affected by saving one or two tillage operations compared to the conventional system. Depending on the type of ridge equipment and the reference system used tillage costs will increase by EUR20–60 per hectare. At a beet price of about EUR30 per t, ridge tillage will be economically feasible where it increases the beet yield by 5–7 % at a yield level of about 65 t per hectare.