Effect of irrigation with magnetized water and spraying boron-sugar alcohol complex on yield and quality of sugar beet under west-west El-Minya conditions

Abstract

Two field experiments were carried out at the research farm of west-west El-Minya, (latitude of 28.24 o N and longitude of 29.59 o E with 134 meters elevation above sea level), El- Minya Governorate, Egypt, in the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons to find out the effect of magnetizing irrigation water and foliar application of boron-sugar alcohol complex on growth, yield, and quality of sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris var. saccharifera, L.), under drip irrigation system in sandy soil. This work included ten treatments representing the combinations of two types of irrigation water [irrigation with well water (the conventional practice) and watering with magnetized well water] and five levels of boron-sugar alcohol complex (zero, 50,100,150, and 200 ppm/fed), equivalent to (zero, 2.36, 4.72, 7.08 and 9.44 cm 3 ) of the compound containing 15% boron, which was sprayed twice at 65 and 85 days from sowing. A split-plot randomized complete block design in arrangement with four replications was used. Results revealed that sugar beet plants irrigated with magnetized well water had better performance and productivity than those received well water without magnetization. Leaf area index, photosynthetic pigments, root criteria, percentages of sucrose, extracted sugar and quality index, as well as root, top, and sugar yields/fed increased compared to that received non-magnetized well water. However, impurities contents and sugar lost to molasses% were insignificantly affected in both seasons. Spraying beets with 150 and/or 200 ppm boron-sugar alcohol complex gave the highest values of sucrose, extracted sugar percentages, quality index, root, and top yields/fed in both seasons, as well as sugar yield/fed, in 1 st season while sodium and alpha-amino N contents decreased, in both seasons. On the other hand, spraying with 200 ppm boron-sugar alcohol complex increased leaf area index, photosynthetic pigments, root criteria, and root potassium content in both seasons as well as sugar yield/fed in the second one compared with those sprayed with 150 ppm. The combination of irrigation with magnetized well water + spraying with 150 and/or 200 ppm boron-sugar alcohol complex recorded the highest values of the root, top, and sugar yields/fed in both seasons.