Crop protection in sugar beet cultivation in Germany - Analysis of opportunities and challenges

The control of pests and weeds is an essential prerequisite for ensuring crop yields. Sugar beet varieties with resistance or tolerance properties to foliar diseases, nematodes, and soil-borne viruses (rhizomania) are an essential component of integrated pest management, which is decisive in the EU. Chemical plant protection continues to be of great importance in the control of plant diseases, pests, and weeds. A comprehensive situation analysis on plant protection in sugar beet cultivation in Germany was published in 2018. Since then, significant changes have occurred in this area, which present both challenges and opportunities for sugar beet cultivation. The availability of efficient chemical control measures has been further limited by the loss of important active substances, the reduced availability of active substances with different modes of action and the emergence of resistant pests (fungicide resistance). This requires the development of alternative control strategies for known pests such as the green peach aphid, the vector of virus yellows. The spectrum of harmful pests has also been expanded with the occurrence of Pentastiridius leporinus , a cicada transmitting the SBR disease (SBR = low sugar content syndrome). In contrast, there has been considerable progress in variety breeding, resulting in new variety traits that improve chemical control of weeds or reduce the need for fungicides. Significant efforts are also invested into research in the field of digital technologies or new cultivation systems. This article highlights the current developments in crop protection and discusses the consequences for sugar beet cultivation.