Where can I grow beets? How to cultivate it? What is the edible value?

Beets, also known as chard, are biennial herbs that are a major source of sugar other than sugar cane. So, where are beets grown? How to cultivate? What are the edible values?

Where is sugar beet grown?

Sugar beets grow well in deep, organic-rich, soft soil; fertilizer and manure are effective. Irrigation is widespread and tolerant to soils with high salinity, but sensitive to strongly acidic soils and low boron. Boron deficiency inhibits growth and causes black heart disease in roots. Sugar beet is widely grown in temperate and cold-temperate regions, and in warm regions during cool seasons. Under suitable climates, vegetable beets grow for 8 to 10 weeks, and some fodder beets for up to 30 weeks.

The first year of growth is mainly vegetative growth, which can be divided into 4 stages: seedling, luxuriant leaf cluster, sugar growth and sugar accumulation in root tuber. The second year of growth is mainly reproductive growth, which can be divided into four stages: leaf cluster, bolting, flowering and seed formation. Sugar beet is a thermophilic crop, but it has strong cold tolerance. The accumulated temperature of 2800~3200℃ above the base temperature of 10℃ is required for the whole growth period. The suitable average temperature for root tuber growth period is above 19℃. When the soil temperature in 5~10 cm depth was above 15℃, the root tuber grew fastest, and almost stopped growing below 4℃.

2. How to cultivate sugar beet?

In the late frost period and windy spring areas, frost prevention and wind prevention measures should be taken after seedlings emerge. In summer sowing area of double cropping in one year and irrigated sugar beet areas in the west and northwest of North China, transplanting seedlings in paper tubes has a good effect on preserving seedlings in saline-alkali soil and spring drought conditions, and the root yield and sugar content are also higher than those of direct seeding. Mulching with plastic film is beneficial to obtain early seedlings, whole seedlings and strong seedlings, and promote root tuber to reach technological maturity ahead of time. More than 50 seedlings per meter in drill sowing and more than 20 seedlings per hole in hole sowing. After emergence, seedlings should be thinned and fixed in time.

3. What is the edible value of beet?

Beets are easy to digest, help improve appetite and relieve headaches. Beets also prevent colds and anemia. Cold beet root process is simple, beet peeled and cut into strips can be freely seasoned. Beet root juice is rich in nitrite substances, which have the effect of lowering blood pressure and preventing Alzheimer's disease. In addition, sugar beet can be directly produced by leaching sugar and clarifying with carbonic acid, but it does not produce raw sugar.

Beet root also contains iodine components, the prevention of goiter and atherosclerosis prevention have a certain effect. Beet roots and leaves contain a betaine component, which is not found in other vegetables. It has biochemical pharmacological functions with choline and lecithin. It is an effective regulator of metabolism and can accelerate the absorption of protein by human body and improve liver function. Beet roots also contain a kind of saponin substances, it has the intestinal cholesterol into a mixture of substances that are not easily absorbed and discharged. Beet root also contains a considerable amount of magnesium, which regulates the hardening strength of softened blood vessels and prevents the formation of thrombosis in blood vessels, which plays an important role in the treatment of hypertension. Beet root also contains a lot of cellulose and pectin components, according to research found that there is a factor function of anti-gastric ulcer disease. In medical practice, there is also a purgative function to eliminate excessive water in the abdomen and relieve abdominal distension. Because it contains iron, copper, manganese and other elements, it can also treat anemia and other diseases.