Rainfall is becoming increasingly important as the sugarbeet season progresses. “Rain is the one thing we’ve been deficient on during the past month. We’ll start pulling roots in the next week to get a better idea of where the crop stands, but visually it continues to look good,” said American Crystal Sugar Company Vice President of Agriculture Steve Rosenau. Cercospora leaf spot has been detected through DNA testing even though symptoms remain limited. “Even though you can’t see visual spots yet, the fungus is present, but dry weather has slowed disease development compared to last year.”
