Productivity and profitability of tropical sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) varieties under various land configurations in Vertisols

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the winter (rabi) season of 201516 at Navsari, Gujarat to study the response of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) varieties to land configuration under south Gujarat climatic conditions. Nine treatment combinations, comprising 3 land configurations, viz. L , flat bed; L , ridge furrow; and L , raised 1 2 3 bed, in main plots and 3 varieties, viz. V , SV 887; V , SV 889 and V , SV 892 in subplots were evaluated in 1 2 3 split-plot design with 4 replications. Significantly the maximum values for fresh foliage, root and total biomass of sugarbeet were observed in raised bed (23.36, 68.36 and 91.72 t/ha), being 40.3, 22.3 and 26.5% higher, respec- tively, over flat bed. Similarly, raised bed also resulted in the maximum net realization ( 127.6 103/ha) and ben- efit: cost ratio (2.32). Sugar beet showed the highest fresh foliage, root and total biomass (21.53, 64.63 and 86.16 t/ha) in variety SV 887, with increased magnitude of fresh foliage, root and total biomass to the tune of 27.5, 10.6 and 14.4%, respectively, over variety SV 889. Similarly, variety SV 887 also exhibited the maximum net re- alization ( 118.2 103/ha) and benefit: cost ratio (2.18). The treatment combination involving raised bed with vari- ety SV 887 accrued the maximum net realization ( 131.4 103/ha) and benefit: cost ratio (2.39) and proved sig- nificantly superior to all the other treatment combinations except raised bed with all varieties and ridge furrow with variety SV 887. The results revealed that planting all the 3 varieties of sugar beet on raised beds and cv. SV 887 under ridge and furrow method performed equally well in heavy black soil of south Gujarat with the maximum pro- ductivity and profitability.