AEIS 657 summarizes the results of a sugarbeet tillage and planting trial at the Innovative Farmers site in Huron county in 1998. Three seedbed tillage methods and two types of planters were compared. The planters included a general purpose planter commonly used for corn and soybeans and a precision vegetable seeder. While there were no practical differences in yield due to seedbed tillage,

selection of the precision seeder increased plant stand by 46%, decreased the number of double seed drops and skips, provided a smaller, more uniform size of beet with a higher sugar content and increased beet yield by more than two tons per acre. Additional work is planned to better define the main effects and interaction of tillage and planter selection on beet yield and profitability.

Tim Harrigan