Productivity and profitability of tropical sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) varieties under various land configurations in Vertisols

A field experiment was conducted during the winter (rabi) season of 2015–16 at Navsari, Gujarat to study the response of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) varieties to land configuration under south Gujarat climatic conditions. Nine treatment combinations, comprising 3 land configurations, viz. L₁, flat bed; L₂, ridge furrow; and L₃, raised bed, in main plots and 3 varieties, viz. V₁, ‘SV 887’; V₂, ‘SV 889’ and V₃, ‘SV 892’ in subplots were evaluated in split-plot design with 4 replications. Significantly the maximum values for fresh foliage, root and total biomass of sugarbeet were observed in raised bed (23.36, 68.36 and 91.72 t/ha), being 40.3, 22.3 and 26.5% higher, respectively, over flat bed. Similarly, raised bed also resulted in the maximum net realization ( 127.6 × 10³/ha) and benefit: cost ratio (2.32). Sugar beet showed the highest fresh foliage, root and total biomass (21.53, 64.63 and 86.16 t/ha) in variety ‘SV 887’, with increased magnitude of fresh foliage, root and total biomass to the tune of 27.5, 10.6 and 14.4%, respectively, over variety ‘SV 889’. Similarly, variety ‘SV 887’ also exhibited the maximum net realization ( 118.2 × 10³/ha) and benefit: cost ratio (2.18). The treatment combination involving raised bed with variety ‘SV 887’ accrued the maximum net realization ( 131.4 × 10³/ha) and benefit: cost ratio (2.39) and proved significantly superior to all the other treatment combinations except raised bed with all varieties and ridge furrow with variety ‘SV 887’. The results revealed that planting all the 3 varieties of sugar beet on raised beds and cv. ‘SV 887’ under ridge and furrow method performed equally well in heavy black soil of south Gujarat with the maximum productivity and profitability.