What is fodder beet for animals and can people eat it?

What is fodder beet?

Fodder beet is a separate type of beet used as feed for livestock. Root vegetables are medium or large in size. The color is red, but some varieties are orange or light in color. After full ripening, the root crop can be 2/3 peeking out from under the ground, making it convenient to harvest the crop using the mechanical or rune method.

Pictured is fodder beet

The tops are thick. One rosette can grow up to 40 leaves! The leaves are ovoid, large and glossy, green in color. Fodder beet blooms in whorls (inflorescences). Peduncles are thick and durable. Each peduncle can contain 2-6 small yellow-green flowers.

The best varieties of beets

The best table beet varieties are distinguished by their balanced taste. They are suitable for fresh consumption.

Rival

Medium ripening variety. Valued for its high yield and excellent taste. Small dark red root vegetables with a diameter of only 4–6 cm and a weight of 200–300 g. The pulp is very juicy and tender. The variety is demanding when it comes to watering. Productivity is average - 4.5–7 kg/m².

To obtain a bountiful harvest, Rival beets need to be properly watered.

Andromeda F1

Early variety. The state register recommends for cultivation in the Black Sea region. Single-germ hybrid. The root vegetables are cylindrical, up to 6.5 cm in diameter, very large - more than 680 g. The pulp is very juicy, cooks easily and quickly, and does not lose color during heat treatment. As a disadvantage of the variety, susceptibility to diseases is noted - root beetle, powdery mildew, cercospora blight, all types of rot. This variety is also sensitive to cold. A characteristic feature is the inability to accumulate nitrates.

Andromeda F1 beets cannot boast of good immunity

Kedry

A medium-ripening variety that very successfully combines the excellent taste of root crops with shelf life and high immunity. The root crops are cylindrical, reaching a mass of 320 g. Almost two-thirds of the beets stick out from the ground, this is normal. Productivity is approximately 7 kg/m².

The root crop of the Kedri beet sticks out of the ground by almost two-thirds

Opolski

Achievement of Polish breeders. Mid-season variety. In Russia, it is recommended for cultivation in the Black Sea region and the Central region. The roots are elongated, weight varies from 160 g to 440 g. They are half immersed in the soil. The variety does not suffer from Phoma blight, but can become infected with Cercospora blight. Productivity - 2.5–5 kg/m².

The greatest danger to Opolski beets is cercospora blight.

Black woman

Recommended regions for cultivation are the Volga region and the Far East. Medium ripening variety. Root vegetables are spherical, suberization is weak. Sugar content is 9.7%, but this does not affect the excellent taste.

Negro beets are not particularly sweet, but this does not affect the taste

How is fodder beet different from sugar beet?

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There are four types of beets used in cooking, agriculture or manufacturing. And although there are not many types, not everyone knows what their differences are and what they are intended for. Most often, young farmers are interested in the question of how fodder beets differ from sugar beets.

Fodder beet photo plant

• Fodder beets have been grown since the 18th century. It is used to feed livestock. It is indispensable in agriculture and is in great demand among farmers, because it is a valuable food additive for animals, especially in winter. The rather hard pulp contains a lot of protein, unlike sugar. The color of the tuber is red or orange, the shape can be oval or round. It is easy to grow and always produces high yields.

Interesting!

If we talk about similar features, then fodder beet, like sugar beet, is characterized by high frost resistance.

• Sugar beets are grown to produce sugar. After processing this vegetable, a cake remains, which is used to feed livestock. However, in its pure form it cannot be fed to animals! It has a white or beige root color and an elongated shape. The tops are always green with an abundance of leaves in each rosette, located on long petioles. The pulp is sweet, rich, unlike fodder pulp.

As you can see, these two types of beets are fundamentally different both in appearance and in taste and purpose. It is difficult to confuse them if you ever see them with your own eyes.

Harvest and storage

Yellowing and drying of the leaves indicates the ripeness of the beets. The root crop has already stopped growing, so the harvest is harvested by digging. Do this until the first frost.

It is best to store beets in ventilated areas, at a constant temperature of +1-20C. By deciding to cultivate fodder beets on your property, you will receive an indispensable feed component for many species of animals.

Unlike animals, humans eat three types of beets - red, white and leaf. Read about what beets are and how they are useful, as well as what varieties of this root vegetable are suitable for growing in different regions of Russia.

Such beets will be an excellent predecessor for planting other crops. A large assortment of fodder beet varieties will allow you to choose the most suitable root crop, and adherence to agricultural technology will bring you maximum yield.

Fodder beet varieties

Beet varieties photo

Fodder beets are grown all over the world. There are many different varieties, but only a few are considered the best, characterized by high yield, size of root crops and resistance to diseases and diseases.

• "Record Poly" ripens in 115-124 days. Root crops develop well and can reach 5 kg! The shape of the beet is cylindrical, with at least 2/3 of it protruding above the ground. Recommended for manual cleaning. The peel is red to pink, becoming lighter closer to the tops. The flesh is pale pink. The yield per hectare of plantings is 900-1200 centners. Advantages: resistance to bolting and diseases. Stored without any problems.
• "Lada" is a high-yielding variety. Up to 1,720 centners of high-quality harvest are collected per hectare! Harvesting beets is relatively simple, but when harvesting by hand you have to make a little effort to get the root crop out. The pulp is light, with a high juice content. Keeping quality is exemplary.
• "Eckendorf yellow" is a hybrid beet. Ripens in 110-135 days. Root vegetables are up to 20 cm long, large, weighing 880-1750 g. The color of the root is yellow, and the flesh is closer to white. Easy to pull out when cleaning. Productivity 1000 c/ha or more. The harvest is of high commercial quality, transportable. Advantages: resistance to cold, low humidity, color. Keeping quality up to 90%.

Varieties and yield per 1 ha

Since the 16th century, breeders have significantly improved the original version of the crop. Modern diversity makes it possible to choose the appropriate variety for any growing conditions.

Reference

The most productive varieties are cylindrical, bag-shaped and elongated-cone-shaped. The record holder is the Lada variety, which produces about 170 tons per hectare.

Let's consider some popular varieties that are not very demanding on soil composition and are resistant to disease, drought and cold:

• Ursus Poli is a hybrid bred in Poland. A smooth root vegetable of orange or yellow color with juicy white or beige pulp. The growing season is 120-135 days. The variety is not picky about soil composition and stores well. Productivity 125 t/ha.
• Record Poli is another variety from Polish breeders. It has cylindrical-conical smooth root vegetables of pink color with white pulp and weighing up to 6 kg. The duration of the growing season is 145 days, you can harvest up to 125 t/ha.
• Centaur Poly is a beet originally from Poland. Oval white root vegetables weigh up to 2.5 kg. The peculiarity of the variety is its rapid growth, resistance to cercospora and bolting. Ripening time is 145 days, yield is 100-110 t/ha.
• Eckendorf yellow is the fruit of the labors of Moscow breeders. It has a cylindrical shape. The color, despite the name, can be not only yellow, but also red. The pulp is juicy. During the period from germination to harvesting - 150 days - it grows up to 1.5 kg. Average yield is 100-150 t/ha.

These varieties are considered the best in terms of yield, nutritional value and unpretentiousness. You can also add Oberndorf red to them.

Planting fodder beets

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Plant fodder beets in pre-fertilized soil. It should be fine-grained, loose, soft, otherwise it will be difficult for the plant to develop. Before using for sowing, seeds must be kept in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes. This will disinfect them.

Beets grow well in nutritious soil

Interesting!

It is not necessary to use growth stimulants to treat seeds. Fodder beet is a strong, hardy plant that germinates and develops well even without stimulants.

Fodder beets are planted from the second half of March to the beginning of April. If the cold weather is delayed and the spring is very cold, then you can postpone planting until May, but you should not delay it too much, because the ripening period of the crop is not short. At the time of planting, the soil should be warmed to +7 degrees Celsius at a depth of 10 cm.

Sow the seeds in rows spaced at intervals of 60 cm. Planting depth is 3 cm. Leave 1-2 cm between individual seeds. This is enough if thinning is carried out in the future, but if not, then the seeds are placed at a distance of 25 cm. After When sowing, the beds are covered with earth and compacted by hand. The first shoots appear after 1-1.5 weeks.

Agricultural technology for planting and care in open ground

To obtain larger root crops, it is necessary to follow the rules of agricultural technology for growing the plant.

Seed preparation:

1. In the second year of root crop growth, you can collect seeds.
2. As soon as the stem has dried, the root crop needs to be dug up.
3. In a dry room, hang the vegetable and wait until the stem is completely dry.
4. The seeds are then collected and stored in paper.

How and when to plant seeds? Landing dates and rules :

1. Seeds are planted in May.
2. Sowing is done to a depth of 3 cm.

Features of care after planting:

1. In the first time after planting, abundant watering is important.
2. A month before the beet harvest begins, watering stops.

Features of fertilization:

1. During the growing season, systematic feeding is carried out up to 3-5 times.
2. After thinning, ammonium nitrate is added. After two weeks, the procedure is repeated.

Cultivation care

On average, fodder beets ripen in 110-150 days. This is a frost-resistant plant that can germinate even at -5 degrees Celsius. Growing this type of beet is quite simple. She is not picky and grows quickly.

Watering and fertilizing beets

• Beets require abundant watering. Especially in the first weeks of seed germination and during the development of root crops. Up to 30 liters of water are consumed per square meter of bed at a time. But when the beets grow to normal size (September), watering stops.
• The beds are weeded from time to time so that the soil does not form a dense crust. Only in the presence of loose soil do the necessary nutrients reach the root crops. And, in addition, weeding is an excellent prevention against fungal diseases and pests.

• In order for the root crop to fully develop, it is necessary to hill up the beets. The part of the fruit protruding above the ground should be at least partially covered. So, as necessary, the earth is burnt.

Important!

Beets of any kind do not tolerate acidic soil. On acidic soil, it produces a meager harvest of low quality, and even the tops of the crop develop poorly! So before planting beets, it’s worth checking the pH level and adjusting it if necessary.

• Fodder beets will not be able to fully develop when planted densely. Therefore, after the appearance of 2 leaves, it is necessary to begin thinning it out. The first time, up to 5 cm of free space is left between the sprouts, the second time (after a month) - up to 7 cm of space, and the third time (in August) they are pulled out through one plant. Small tubers pulled out can be used to feed animals in the fall, and the final harvest in the ground can reach its maximum size.
• You can get a full harvest of fodder beets even in poor soil if you fertilize on time. It is easier and more profitable to use mineral mixtures (azofoska, nitrophoska), they quickly decompose and are absorbed by plants. Apply them every 3 weeks between the rows, after watering or heavy rain.
• Spraying against pests and diseases is carried out if a problem appears, although many farmers do preventive treatments. To do this, use specialized insecticides (Atom, Denadim Power, Borey, etc.), fungicides (Doctor Krop, Albit, Benomil, etc.) or folk remedies.

Best varieties for storage

Keeping quality is not inherent in all varieties of beets. A bountiful harvest is not a guarantee of long-term storage. As a rule, late varieties are best stored, but there are exceptions.

Nosovskaya flat

A variety from the mid-early category. Root vegetables are flattened. The pulp is very juicy. The average weight of a vegetable is 205–560 g. This depends on the weather in spring and summer.

The weight of Nosovskaya flat beet root crops strongly depends on how the summer turns out in terms of weather

The variety tolerates drought well and does not suffer from flowering. Productivity - 4–10 kg/m².

Rocket F1

Dutch mid-season hybrid. It is advisable to plant this beet in the European part of Russia and Western Siberia. Valued for its resistance to flowering and drought, mechanized harvesting is possible.

Beet Roket F1 is resistant to flowering and suffers little from drought

The root vegetables are medium-sized (220 g), cylindrical in shape. Suberization is weak. The percentage of rejected root crops is very low - 1–7%. Productivity - 5–7 kg/m². Sugar content at 11.7%.

Madame Rougette F1

The early ripening hybrid nevertheless stores well. It is recommended to grow this beet in the Volga region.

Madame Rouzette F1 beets perform best when grown in the Volga region

Root crops are almost round, suberization is average. The weight of one beet is 130–250 g. The sugar content is not too high - 10.3%. The variety is resistant to flowering and is generally characterized by good immunity. Productivity is 3.5–8.5 kg/m².

Crosby

A variety from the mid-season category. It is resistant to flowering and generally has good immunity. Productivity strongly depends on planting care and weather in summer (3.5–8.5 kg/m²).

Crosby beet yield is highly dependent on planting care

Red-burgundy flattened root vegetables weighing 500–600 g. The pulp is very juicy and tender.

Tenderness

A variety from the mid-season category. There are no restrictions on growing regions.

Beetroot Tenderness has no restrictions regarding the growing region

The roots are elongated, smooth, regular in shape, suberization is mild. The average weight of beets is 160-310 g. The sugar content is relatively low - 7.6-9.7%.

Gypsy

Medium ripening variety. It shows itself best in the Volga-Vyatka region.

Tsyganochka beets are recommended to be grown in the Volga-Vyatka region

Suberization is moderate. The weight of the root crop is 230–370 g. The sugar content is 10.5%.

How to store fodder beets?

The yield of fodder beet can reach up to 1100 centners per hectare. It is easy to grow. Collected root vegetables usually have a presentable appearance and can be immediately used for their intended purpose or sent for sale.

Fodder beets in the garden

You can tell when the crop can be harvested by the appearance of the crop. Root crops are usually quite large at the time of harvest. The tops begin to turn pale or yellow, individual leaves dry out and fall off. So, by checking the condition of the tops, you can determine the moment of harvesting the beets. In any case, beets must be collected before the first frost. This is usually done from late September to mid-October.

Fodder beets are collected using shovels, beet lifters, combines, and potato diggers. After harvesting, the harvest is sorted. All bad, damaged tubers must be set aside separately to be used first. Good beets are packaged in bags or nets and placed in storage (a cellar or basement is suitable). Fodder beets are often stored in piles if there is no room in the cellar.

Nutrition and fertilization

Fodder beet is a high-yielding crop, so the plant consumes a large amount of nutrients, and is also quite demanding on the chemical composition and quality of the soil.

Regardless of the climate zone, beets respond well to the addition of manure and mineral fertilizers to the soil. Throughout the growing period, the plant’s need for nutrients changes:

• during the period of active growth of the above-ground part, more nitrogenous fertilizers are needed;
• the second half of the growing season is characterized by increased potassium consumption;
• Phosphorus must be applied in even doses throughout the growing season.

Percentage of nutrients for fodder beets at different ripening periods

Who is fed ball beets?

Fodder beets are mainly fed to livestock, namely those animals that produce milk. This is an important part of the diet of cows, goats, and sheep. Animals love it very much and eat it with great pleasure. From a physical point of view, this is a useful supplement, it increases milk yield, compensates for the lack of vitamins in winter, normalizes fat metabolism, and improves digestion.

Beets are given to cows only after heat treatment

It is also suitable for some other types of pets. Horses and pigs need it in winter; very often it is also included in the diet of rabbits and poultry (chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys). Animals can eat not only root vegetables, but also tops. Before feeding, the vegetable is crushed and added to mash or given separately.

General characteristics of table vegetable crops

Table beet variety is a biennial crop. The root crop is large, weighing up to 1 kg, dark burgundy in color. The appearance of the fruit is from round to flat in shape. The leaf is wide, rich green. In the second year after planting in the ground, flowering and seed formation occur. The time from planting to the formation of mature root crops depends on the variety, climatic conditions and ranges from two to four months.

There are four categories of table beets, depending on the time of fruit formation:

-early ripening - 65-80 days (Bikorez, Solo)

- early ripening - 80-100 days (Vodan, Barguzin)

- mid-early - 100-130 days (Bordeaux 237, Bonn)

- late ripening - 130 days or more (Slavyanka, Cylinder)

Diseases and pests

Fodder beet is among a group of plants that often suffer from diseases. Among them:

1. Powdery mildew. When a dirty white coating appears on the foliage, it is necessary to treat the crop with fungicides.
2. Cercospora blight. Pale spots with a brownish-reddish edging indicate the need for mineral fertilizing and soil moisture.
3. Fomoz. The beets begin to rot from the inside. The cause of the disease is a lack of boron in the soil, which must be replenished.
4. Corneater. Stems and roots rot. The disease develops when the soil is excessively moist.

Among the insects dangerous to crops are:

• beet flea beetle - they gnaw off the leaves and the seedlings die;
• miner fly - they gnaw out channels in the green part of the crop, which leads to its withering and death;
• beet aphid - eats beet leaves and is a carrier of viral diseases.

To understand what the crop has suffered from, you can look at the photos with the most common signs of certain diseases and pest attacks.

Crop rotation

Unfortunately, not everyone pays attention to such a concept as crop rotation. You need to know that table beets should be planted in the same place no earlier than three years later .

Another important element of successful yield is last year's predecessors of table beets . First of all, these include sweet peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and cucumbers with the obligatory addition of compost. Therefore, beets are often used as a sealant next to tomatoes, cucumbers or potatoes. Cereals and legumes are also satisfactory precursors. It is certainly not advisable to sow table beets after corn, rapeseed, fodder and sugar beets. Even after thinning beets, it is recommended to plant their seedlings after radishes, lettuce and other early vegetables.

The beets themselves are perfect for many plants in crop rotation, and after them it is possible to plant almost any vegetables and grains.

Which vegetables planted next to beets are desirable and which are unsatisfactory is a controversial question. If there is no particular controversy with carrots and onions, then opinions are divided regarding potatoes and cabbage.

Negative factors for growing beets

— insufficient illumination during the initial period of growth;

—acidic soils;

— increased amount of moisture (leads to spoilage of root crops);

- a decrease in temperature (below 5-6 degrees) in the initial growth phase (arrows);

— excessive density of crops (thin out in time).

Here are the main signs and conditions under which we may not receive a significant amount of cash crops.