SUGAR BEET ROOT ROTS DURING VEGETATION PERIOD IN UKRAINE - Ecological Consequences of Increasing Crop Productivity - page 207

Pythium root rot spreads massively on sugar beet in the United States, Iran, and
South Europe [21]. In Ukraine, it does not have practical importance. Nevertheless,
one can fi nd this kind of rot on the roots mostly of foreign origin. Characteristic feature
of the rot is that damaged tissues become gray, then black, and of hard consistency,
which greatly complicates root processing at factories (Figure 20.4).

FIGURE 20.4 Pythium root rot on sugar beet.

Rhizopus root rot is an uncommon disease in Ukraine; but recently, one can
came across it more and more often. The causative agent is saprophytic micromices
Rhіzopus nіgrіcans that features thermostability, that is, it becomes more active at the
temperature of 28-45˚C.
Almost everywhere in sugar beet-growing zones, storage rot (blackleg) appears
every year, damaging 2-5 percent of crops [20, 22, 23]. It develops more rapidly under
soil drought along with high temperature.
In recent years, under the infl uence of stress weather condition in Bulgaria, Hun-
gary, India, and the United States, the manifestation of new Fusarium diseases have
been registered on rice, corn, and tobacco crops [24].
One of the most urgent relevant problems in many countries as the United States,
Belgium, Germany, India, and the Netherlands is fusarium yellows, caused with Fu-
sarium [25]. Stress conditions that follow both the beginning of vegetation and of
active growth period promote Fusarium disease development.
Fusarium diseases are observed in almost all sugar beet farms of Ukraine (Figure
20.5).