Seed Priming as a Tool for Optimizing Sugar Beet Canopy Traits, Root Yield and Technological Sugar Yield

Beata Michalska-Klimczak (), Zdzisław Wyszyński, Vladimír Pačuta, Marek Rašovský, Jan Buczek and Chrystian Chomontowski
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Beata Michalska-Klimczak: Department of Agronomy, Institute of Agriculture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159 St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Zdzisław Wyszyński: Department of Agronomy, Institute of Agriculture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159 St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Vladimír Pačuta: Department of Crop Production and Grassland Ecosystems, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
Marek Rašovský: Department of Crop Production and Grassland Ecosystems, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
Jan Buczek: Department of Crop Production, Faculty of Technology and Life Sciences, University of Rzeszow, Zelwerowicza 4 St., 35-601 Rzeszow, Poland
Chrystian Chomontowski: Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159 St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-21

Abstract: Seed priming is a proven method for enhancing early plant development and stress resilience, yet its field-level effects on sugar beet performance remain underexplored. This study evaluated the impact of seed priming on emergence dynamics, canopy traits, root yield, and sugar productivity over three growing seasons with variable weather conditions in central Poland. We found that primed seeds consistently improved emergence uniformity, plant spacing, and early growth, resulting in a more regular canopy structure and greater biomass accumulation. Sugar beet root yield increased by 6.2–7.7%, primarily due to higher average root mass, while final plant density remained unaffected. Although sucrose content was not significantly altered, sugar beet roots from primed seeds exhibited lower concentrations of molasses-forming substances (Na + , K + , and α-amino nitrogen). As a result, biological and technological sugar yields increased by 5.9% and 6.1%, respectively. Our results illustrate how seed priming enhances both agronomic performance and processing quality of sugar beet under field conditions, offering a low-cost strategy for stabilizing yield in temperate environments.

Keywords: sugar beet; seed priming; canopy; plant growth; root yield; technological sugar yield (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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