Abstract
SUMMARY Yields of sugar and responses to fertilizers were determined in about 400 fertilizer experiments on farms throughout the sugar-beet growing areas of Britain during 14 years from 1957 to 1970. The soil at each experimental site was described and classified and the records of the experiments have been examined to determine which properties of the soil influence sugar yield. The effect of year, rainfall, elevation, region and other factors such as sowing and harvesting date were also investigated. Year-to-year variation accounted for 20 % of all variation in yield; increasing amounts of rainfall during the growing season appeared to decrease yield. There was a significant long-term trend of increasing sugar yield from the experiments of 0·042 t/ha/year. The experimental yields closely followed national yields each year but were always greater. Delay in sowing and early harvesting depressed yield by 0–02 and 0·01 t sugar/ ha/day respectively. Yields in Scotland (average 5·23 t/ha) were approximately 1·4 t/ha less than in England and Wales, but there were no evident regional differences within England and Wales. Soil regarded as moderately drained yielded better than either well-drained or imperfectly drained soil, which in turn yielded better than droughty and poorly drained soil. The difference in the adjusted yield between drainage classes was 1·0 t/ha. Surprisingly, topsoil texture had no consistent effect on mean yield (as distinct from response to fertilizer). Subsoil texture, however, had an appreciable effect, the crop on sandy subsoil and chalk or limestone yielding poorly whilst that on silt or peat yielded best. The range of differences in sugar yield due to subsoil texture was almost 2 t/ha. Yields were also examined in relation to soil profile type. Broad division into major soil groups gave meaningful differences but fine division by soil series was only useful for the 11 series on which at least ten experiments had been made. The crop yielded most sugar on gleyed calcareous soils, peats and humic gleys, and least on rendzinas and brown calcareous soils. Responses to nitrogen and potassium but not to phosphorus were affected by both topsoil and subsoil texture. Nitrogen and potassium both increased yield most on sandy soils and least on fine silts and peats. The morphology, chemical and physical condition of soil clearly affect sugar yield greatly and further research is needed in experiments planned specifically to measure their influence and provide more precise guidance for selecting the best land for the crop.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 20
Claim · model-written summary
Year-to-year variation explained 20% of yield variation.
- Taxon
- sugar beet
Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0 - Outcome
- variation in yielde0
- Value
- 20 %e0
- Setting
- Year-to-year variatione0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Year-to-year variation accounted for 20 % of all variation in yield”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Greater growing-season rainfall appeared to decrease yield.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Setting
- rainfall during the growing seasone0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increasing amounts of rainfall during the growing season appeared to decrease yield”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Sugar yield increased over time by 0·042 t/ha/year.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Outcome
- sugar yielde0
- Direction
- increasinge0
- Value
- 0·042 t/ha/yeare0
- Setting
- long-terme0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“significant long-term trend of increasing sugar yield from the experiments of 0·042 t/ha/year”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Experimental yields followed national yields but were greater.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Outcome
- experimental yieldse0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Comparator
- national yieldse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The experimental yields closely followed national yields each year but were always greater”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Delayed sowing depressed yield by 0–02 t sugar/ ha/day.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Treatment
- Delay in sowinge0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- depressede0
- Value
- 0–02e0
- Qualifier
- t sugar/ ha/daye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Delay in sowing and early harvesting depressed yield by 0–02 and 0·01 t sugar/ ha/day respectively”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Early harvest depressed yield by 0·01 t sugar/ ha/day.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Treatment
- early harvestinge0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- depressede0
- Value
- 0·01 t sugar/ ha/daye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Delay in sowing and early harvesting depressed yield by 0–02 and 0·01 t sugar/ ha/day respectively”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Scottish yields were 1·4 t/ha lower than England and Wales.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Outcome
- Yieldse0
- Direction
- lesse0
- Value
- 1·4 t/hae0
- Qualifier
- 5·23 t/hae0
- Comparator
- England and Walese0
- Setting
- Scotlande0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Yields in Scotland (average 5·23 t/ha) were approximately 1·4 t/ha less than in England and Wales”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
No regional yield differences were evident within England and Wales.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Outcome
- regional differencese0
- Direction
- no evidente0
- Setting
- England and Walese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“there were no evident regional differences within England and Wales”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderately drained soils yielded better than well-drained or imperfectly drained soils.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Outcome
- yieldede0
- Direction
- bettere0
- Comparator
- well-drained or imperfectly drained soile0
- Setting
- moderately drainede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Soil regarded as moderately drained yielded better than either well-drained or imperfectly drained soil”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Well-drained and imperfectly drained soils yielded better than droughty and poorly drained soils.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Outcome
- yieldede0
- Direction
- bettere0
- Comparator
- droughty and poorly drained soile0
- Setting
- well-drained or imperfectly drained soile0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“well-drained or imperfectly drained soil, which in turn yielded better than droughty and poorly drained soil”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Adjusted yields differed by 1·0 t/ha among drainage classes.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Outcome
- adjusted yielde0
- Value
- 1·0 t/hae0
- Setting
- drainage classese0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The difference in the adjusted yield between drainage classes was 1·0 t/ha”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Topsoil texture had no consistent effect on mean yield.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Outcome
- mean yielde0
- Direction
- no consistent effecte0
- Setting
- topsoil texturee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“topsoil texture had no consistent effect on mean yield”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Subsoil texture had an appreciable effect on yield, with sandy and chalk soils poor and silt and peat best.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Outcome
- yielding poorlye0
- Direction
- poorlye0
- Comparator
- silt or peate0
- Setting
- sandy subsoil and chalk or limestonee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Subsoil texture, however, had an appreciable effect, the crop on sandy subsoil and chalk or limestone yielding poorly whilst that on silt or peat yielded best”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Subsoil texture accounted for almost 2 t/ha difference in sugar yield.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Outcome
- sugar yielde0
- Value
- almost 2 t/hae0
- Setting
- subsoil texturee0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The range of differences in sugar yield due to subsoil texture was almost 2 t/ha”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Major soil groups distinguished yields.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Outcome
- meaningful differencese0
- Setting
- major soil groupse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Broad division into major soil groups gave meaningful differences”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield was highest on gleyed calcareous soils, peats and humic gleys and lowest on rendzinas and brown calcareous soils.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Outcome
- yielded most sugare0
- Direction
- moste0
- Comparator
- rendzinas and brown calcareous soilse0
- Setting
- gleyed calcareous soils, peats and humic gleyse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The crop yielded most sugar on gleyed calcareous soils, peats and humic gleys, and least on rendzinas and brown calcareous soils”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen and potassium responses varied with topsoil and subsoil texture, unlike phosphorus response.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Outcome
- Responses to nitrogen and potassiume0
- Setting
- topsoil and subsoil texturee0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Responses to nitrogen and potassium but not to phosphorus were affected by both topsoil and subsoil texture”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen increased yield most on sandy soils and least on fine silts and peats.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Treatment
- Nitrogene0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- fine silts and peatse0
- Setting
- sandy soilse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Nitrogen and potassium both increased yield most on sandy soils and least on fine silts and peats”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Potassium increased yield most on sandy soils and least on fine silts and peats.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Treatment
- potassiume0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- fine silts and peatse0
- Setting
- sandy soilse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Nitrogen and potassium both increased yield most on sandy soils and least on fine silts and peats”
t0“sugar beet”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend dedicated experiments to guide selection of land for sugar beet.
- Taxon
- sugar beetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Outcome
- further research is needed in experiments planned specifically to measure their influence and provide more precise guidance for selecting the best land for the crope0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“further research is needed in experiments planned specifically to measure their influence and provide more precise guidance for selecting the best land for the crop”
t0“sugar beet”
The same questions in other papers
potassium · yield · Beta vulgaris (beet)Results differ
51 papers in the same direction as this paper · 6 in the opposite direction
- positive
- no effect
- no effect
54 papers more in this group
See all 58 papers →nitrogen · yield · Beta vulgaris (beet)Positive and negative results
141 papers in the same direction as this paper · 16 in the opposite direction · 3 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
- positive
- positive
157 papers more in this group
See all 161 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.