The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of seed sowing time on the red beet root crops conservation in the southwestern Forest-Steppe of Ukraine.
It has been established that sowing periods affect the germination of red beet root. Thus, the lowest total losses were observed for sowing on May 1–4 in all the studied hybrids, namely in the Bettollo F1 hybrid – 6.7 %, the Voyevoda F1 – 9.9 %, and in the Ronda F1 hybrid – 14.9 %, respectively. The biggest losses were observed for sowing in the early spring term, since sowing beetroot in the early term results in the roots overripening, aging, cracking, they germinate during storage and become less resistant to rotting microorganisms. The highest output of commodity products was observed under sowing in late spring time. In this case, the yield of markered root beet root in the Bettollo F1 hybrid was 93.3 %, the Voyevoda F1 – 90.1 %, and in the Ronda F1 hybrid – 85.1 %, respectively.
Bettolo F1 hybrid root crops were better preserved than others, which we believe is due to the mass of root crops, since the conservation of large and medium-sized root crops is higher than that of small ones.
It should also be noted that the total root loss was lower under storage in boxes with a plastic insert, than that under the root loss stored in the boxes. Thus, the lowest total root loss was observed in the Bettollo F1 hybrid – 5.2–7.6 %, which is 0.1–2.0 % less than the Voyevoda F1 hybrid and 3.2–6.9 % less than in the Ronda F1 hybrid. In the Bettolo F1 hybrid, the disease losses were insignificant compared to the Voyevoda F1 and Ronda F1 hybrids and made 2.8–4.0 %. The natural weight loss in the hybrid Bettollo F1 was 2.4–3.6 %, which is almost on par with the hybrid Voyevoda F1 2.3–4.2 %, but much less than in the hybrid Ronda F1 3.8–6.6 %.
Comparing the storage methods, it should be noted that storage root crops in boxes with a plastic insert contributes to a higher output of marketed products compared to variants where the root crops were stored in boxes in bulk. Thus, storage root crops in boxes with a plastic insert is the best way to store root beets as it allows to save the product with minimal loss.
Key words: storage properties, hybrid, total losses, commodity products output, boxes, boxes with a plastic insert.
The Influence of sowing time of red beet seeds on root crops storage