Economic Observer Network: The Neck Problem of Sugar Beet Seed Industry

Seeds are the "chip" of agriculture and the "password" of harvest. They must be firmly held in one's own hands to ensure the security of the national sugar industry. At present, more than 95% of sugar beet seeds in the country rely on foreign imports, and this situation is mainly due to two bottleneck problems.

One is the issue of variety. The comprehensive characteristics of sugar beet seeds in foreign countries are outstanding, with low planting risks and high benefits for sugar making enterprises and farmers. At present, even with advanced cultivation techniques, the root yield of domestically bred sugar beet varieties has approached the level of foreign varieties, but the sugar content is lower than that of foreign varieties. Therefore, there is a need to improve the root type and comprehensive disease resistance of self cultivated sugar beet varieties. It is urgent to select sugar beet self cultivated varieties with good root type, easy harvest, and resistance to multiple diseases.