Achievements and prospects in sugar beet breeding

Abstract

Although sugar beet has been grown for only 250 years or so, breeding directions in this plant have changed more than in any other crop. Many type of changes occurred because of the influence of growers, consumers or pathogens that brought about a decrease in sugar beet growing areas. Work on sugar beet breeding at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad began in 1939. The main goal of the sugar beet breeding program is to develop hybrids with high sugar yields tolerant to the prevalent pathogens and stress. During the last fifty years of intensive work at the Institute's Sugar Beet Department, 33 varieties of this crop have been registered in Serbia and 17 abroad.

Iako se šećerna repa gaji tek oko 250 godina, izmena pravaca oplemenjivanja su bila mnogo izraženija u odnosu na druge ratarske biljke. Razne promene koje su se desile kod šećerne repe pod uticajem bilo proizvođača, potrošača ili raznih patogena dovele su u pitanje proizvodnju ove biljne vrste u svetu. U Institutu za ratarstvo i povrtarstvo u Novom Sadu na oplemenjivanju šećerne repe se uspešno radi od 1939 godine. Osnovni pravac u oplemenjivačkom programu je stvaranje hibrida sa visokim prinosom šećera po hektaru i hibrida tolerantnih prema najznačajnijim patogenima i stresnim uslovima. Tokom proteklih 50 godina intenzivnog rada u Odeljenju za šećernu repu stvoreno je 50 sorata (33 u zemlji i 17 u inostranstvu).