Sowing date, plant density and harvest date are important factors affecting root yield and quality of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.). The effects of sowing date (beginning of April, mid-April, the end of April, mid-May, and the end of May), plant density, and harvest date (the end of September and mid-October) on sugar beet yield and quality were studied in trials in the Eastern Anatolia region on a loam soil in 1994-97. Variation in plant density was obtained by combining two seed distances and two target emergence percentages. Plant populations for the different treatments reached 55 500, 73 000, 88 900 and 103 600 plants ha-1. Each day that sowing was delayed from mid-April to the end of May resulted in a 703 and 134 kg/ha decrease in root and sugar yield, respectively. A delay in emergence of 43 days from the beginning of May reduced sugar content by 10.9% and estimated extractable sugar content by 15.2%. The maximum differences between large and small plant densities were leaf yield 37.9%, sugar content 5.6%, estimated extractable sugar content 9.6%, root yield 15.8%, and recoverable sugar yield 29.7%. Sugar beet grown at high densities should be harvested later; whereas, crops at low densities should be harvested at the beginning of the harvesting period.

Sowing date, plant density and harvest date are important factors affecting root yield and quality of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.). The effects of sowing date (beginning of April, mid-April, the end of April, mid-May, and the end of May), plant density, and harvest date (the end of September and mid-October) on sugar beet yield and quality were studied in trials in the Eastern Anatolia region on a loam soil in 1994-97. Variation in plant density was obtained by combining two seed distances and two target emergence percentages. Plant populations for the different treatments reached 55 500, 73 000, 88 900 and 103 600 plants ha-1. Each day that sowing was delayed from mid-April to the end of May resulted in a 703 and 134 kg/ha decrease in root and sugar yield, respectively. A delay in emergence of 43 days from the beginning of May reduced sugar content by 10.9% and estimated extractable sugar content by 15.2%. The maximum differences between large and small plant densities were leaf yield 37.9%, sugar content 5.6%, estimated extractable sugar content 9.6%, root yield 15.8%, and recoverable sugar yield 29.7%. Sugar beet grown at high densities should be harvested later; whereas, crops at low densities should be harvested at the beginning of the harvesting period.