Sugar Beet Cultivation, Management and Processing (eBook)

This book is a compilation of advancements and achievements in the field of sugar beet cultivation. It covers recent research and up-to-date information on this crop. It discusses essential aspects for high production and good yield, development and crop management, such as origin, breeding, seed production, physiology, pathology, entomology, biotechnology, and post-harvest technology. 

Sugar beet is known as an alternative crop for sugar production. A versatile crop having numerous uses, besides being raw material for sugar production, its molasses contain high amount of betaine which is used as a feed supplement. Due to its value profile it has attracted the millers and farmers alike. 

This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, agriculture scientists, capacity builders and policymakers. Also the book serves as additional reading material for graduate students of agriculture, forestry, ecology and soil science. National and international agricultural scientists, policy makers will also find this to be a useful read.

Dr. Ashutosh Kumar Mall, Principal Scientist (Genetics & Plant Breeding), ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow completed his B.Sc. (Ag.) from VBPS University, Jaunpur, UP in 2001 and both M.Sc. (Ag.) & Ph.D. (Ag.) in Genetics & Plant Breeding from ANDUA&T, Ayodhya (UP) during 2003 & 2006, respectively. He has done his Post-Doctorate from, International Rice Research Institute, Philippines. After serving for three years as Scientist with IRRI, Philippines; he served as Senior Scientist at ICAR-Indian Grassland & Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi (UP), and then joined ICAR-IISR, Lucknow. Dr. Mall has multiple research and managerial responsibilities at IISR, Lucknow as In-charge, IISR Regional Center, Motipur & IISR Sugar beet Out Post, Mukteswar (Nainital). He has developed fifteen rice varieties for different ecologies and thirteen varieties in different forage crops namely Guinea grass, Oat, Cowpea, Pearl millet, Tall fescue, Lucerne, and Sewan grass, and one variety for sugarcane in collaboration under All India Coordinated Research Project (S). Through several cross combinations, he has identified eleven germplasm for Sugarcane and five germplasm for Sugar beet. He has life time membership of 27 professional societies. Dr. Mall significantly contributed in the sugarcane improvement program and is working for seed replacement through Breeder Seed Production under private-public partnership mode in Bihar, which is recognized by task force for improving sugarcane productivity and sugar recovery by Government of Bihar. He is also working on varietal development of sugar beet for Indian sub-tropical conditions and maintaining nearly 200 germplasm. He has received many prestigious awards from different National and International Societies. Dr Mall is a fellow of Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding, New Delhi. He published more than 90 research papers in international and national journals of repute, 60 popular articles, and manuals, 69 abstracts published in national/international seminar/symposium, published 9 technical bulletins, 3 leaf folders, 3 e-technical bulletins, 3 e-folders, one inventory, and 3 e-books, 24 e-annual reports and e-proceedings, 10 annuals reports and 7 workshop proceedings compiled and edited to his credit. He has written three books, two edited souvenir cum abstract books, and written twenty-five book chapters including publishers like Springer, etc., and handled five externally funded and eight institutional research projects with ongoing one externally project and six institutional projects.