Sugar beet and Solutions
The global market & RAGT
The sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) became a key sugar source in the 19th century. In 1747, the German scientist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf identified sugar in beets, and his student Franz Karl Achard built the first beet sugar factory in 1801. During the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon Bonaparte promoted beet sugar to become independent of transatlantic sugar cane deliveries.
The industry grew rapidly across Europe and the U.S., rivaling cane sugar. Today, sugar beets are a major source of global sugar production. Worldwide, almost 186 million tons of sugar are being produced every year from either sugar beet or sugar cane.
The global top producers are Russia, France, United States of America, Germany and Turkey. Of these, the United States rely on sugar beet for 40-45 % of their sugar production, whereas the other top producers cover almost 100% of their sugar needs from beet sugar.
With intense research we are one of the leading sugar beet breeders worldwide. With over five breeding stations all over the world, we provide varieties for farmers needs. We invest heavily in breeding research, so that way we can provide practical and innovative solutions with a strong focus on high yielding and multitolerant varieties.
In close contact with farmers, institutes and sugar industries we are working for an optimistic and sustainable future.
#3 global seeds company in Sugar beet
Multigenic disease tolerance (Virus Yellows, SBR)
Present in over 50 countries
A Synergy of Expertise for Continuous Innovation in Sugar Beets
With recognized expertise in the world of sugar beets, Deleplanque, Strube, and RAGT combine their complementary strengths, from varietal selection to production. This synergy allows them to continuously innovate and provide ever more efficient solutions, tailored to their clients’ requirements and the challenges of tomorrow.
Our Common challenges
Although sugar beet copes better with drought, heat and environmental changes than many other crops, sugar beet cultivation is also affected by climate change. New diseases and pests are appearing that did not previously exist or did not exist to the same extent. Plant protection products are also subject to constantly changing conditions. The solution for sustainable cultivation lies in multigenic tolerant varieties.
Through new breeding techniques and innovative technology such as AI-controlled analyses of trial fields, we are able to make the breeding process more efficient.
RAGT for farmers: yield, stability, and also
In our varieties we combine outstanding sugar content, consistently high yield potential and high tolerance to disease and stress. Thanks to canopy architecture and seed priming, our sugar beet varieties develop very quickly to cover the soil soon after emergence – limiting weeds, and reducing water evaporation.This combination gives our customers the benefit of a better sugar beet prices and profits.
RAGT For Industries : Quality
The trade mark of RAGT’s sugar beet seed is extraordinary seed quality, demonstrated by high and uniform emergence and very fast youth development in the field. Thanks to our intense research into seed quality and rigorous quality controls, we provide only the best seeds to ensure optimum crop establishment and development in the field.
Sugar producers benefit from a low soil tare during harvest due to optimised beet body shape and highest inner quality with very low purities ensuring efficient sugar extraction.
Where you can find our varieties
Did you know ?
When the beet was discovered as possible sugar source, the actual sugar content was very low: only 2 %! Increasing the sugar content and root yield has been the main mission for sugar beet breeders since then. The multigerm seeds posed additional challenges, causing a workload of 600 hours per hectare until harvest. The development of hybrids in the 1920s (taking advantage of the heterosis effect) was a major break-through. Going from multigerm to monogerm in the mid of 20th century improved crop establishment and significantly reduced the workload down to 20 hours. Modern sugar beet varieties have up to 20% sugar content and a very high root yield up to 100t/ha, resulting in an average sugar yield per hectare of more 15 tons.
Reasons to grow Sugar beet
- Sugar beets are a major source of sucrose, providing high and stable yields per acre under diverse climate and growing conditions. The consistent demand for sugar and bio-based products ensures market stability. They are a profitable cash crop.
- Sugar beets produce some versatile By-Products: Pulp and molasses can be used for animal feed, ethanol production, and biogas.
- Agronomically, sugar beets improve soil health and reduce pest cycles when rotated with other crops. Sugar beets are relatively resilient in dry conditions compared to some other crops.
