Research provides a winter crop that can’t be ‘beet’

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March 6, 2013

Research provides a winter crop that can’t be ‘beet’

Clint Thompson/University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences CNHI The Tifton Gazette Wed Mar 06, 2013, 09:28 PM EST

TIFTON — A vegetable is producing “sweet” results with researchers at the University of Georgia.

Timothy Grey, an associate professor on the Tifton campus of UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environment Sciences, and Ted Webster, research agronomist with the United States Department of Agricultural- Agricultural Research Service, are collaborating on a project with Betaseed Inc[SD1] . The research team is studying the production of winter-grown energy beets for biofuel use.

If successful, this will provide farmers across the Southeast a winter crop to grow in rotation with their summer commodities. The use of energy beets as a biofuel crop would also create an alternative to cellulosic biofuel production and would not displace current summer crop production.

“One of the things that this industry is looking at is potentially using a source of sugar to make ethanol that doesn’t involve food processing,” Grey said. “You would be taking what is classified as an energy beet and directly using that as a source of ethanol production versus having to go through the conversion process and using corn, which is much more valuable in other areas.”

The project is entering its second harvest season following a season of “promising results” in 2012. The Georgia research team produced more than the average beet yield in the Midwest which is about 30-35 tons, Webster said.

“It scavenges the remaining nitrogen in the soil that was put out on the corn and puts it to use,” Webster said.

By growing energy beet during the winter, Grey and Webster can make better use of the resources at their disposal. And, they are taking advantage of the mild climate in South Georgia which offers verylittle freezing temperatures during the winter months. If successful, planting energy beet could provide farmers a winter commodity to grow in rotation with their summer crops.

While the prospect of farming energy beet is looking up for farmers in the region, he said there are concerns that need to be addressed.

The economics of growing energy beets needs to be evaluated for South Georgia, but the crop is established in other regions of the U.S.

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Research provides a winter crop that can’t be ‘beet’

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