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“Sugarbeet Report” presented by NDSU Extension, features growing tips from NDSU sugar beet specialists and researchers.
This is the Sugarbeet Report, bringing you the latest information from NDSU throughout the sugar beet growing season. The beet crop is growing, and like most seasons, there are some bumps. Today, we'll discuss sugar beet agronomy and weed control in sugar beet with Tom Peters, NDSU and University of Minnesota extension sugar beet agronomist. Tom, how is the crop developing?
Tom Peters:Well, Bruce, thanks again for having me. Our crop is growing quickly, and especially our fields in the South. Some of our most advanced fields are closing rows. And, Bruce, I think that's at least two weeks ahead of schedule, so it's amazing to me. On the other side of it, unfortunately in 2026, we've had a substantial replant acreage. Some of those fields are struggling. We have variable stands. We have differences in sugar beet growth stages. So as every year, we have quite a variety.
Bruce Sundeen:What are some of the most common questions you receive?
Tom Peters:As an extension agronomist, there's an array of questions that come in. A lot of them are weed control related. Some of them are agronomy related. But most recently, I've had a lot of questions, and a lot of my fieldwork has been related to off target movement. And I want to spend a couple of minutes and talk about that. So there's two kinds that really stand out. The first kind is where you do one spray job, maybe for corn or soybeans, and the products that were used in those crops are still in the tank. So I want to really emphasize tank clean out. You need to clean your tank at the end of the spray job because those dry formulations, they accumulate in the cracks in the sprayer, and unfortunately, they will affect your subsequent crop. Sugarbeet is a wimpy crop, and unfortunately, those carryover product affects sugarbeet. The second one is particle movement. There's a very popular corn herb icide that contains the active ingredient misotrione or Callisto. Unfortunately, Callisto causes a lot of problems in sugar beets. So I want to go through a couple of myths about Callisto. First of all, callisto does not volatilize. It doesn't move from the field later on, maybe in a temperature inversion, and affect a field in a different area. And the second myth is the premixes that contain callistal, the callistal portion of those mixes does not move differently than the other components in those mixtures. The problem with those products is Callisto is very, very sensitive to sugar beets, especially sugar beets that are at a young stage. So you have to be very careful when you're spraying those products, especially when sugar beets are in the neighborhood.
Bruce Sundeen:Tom, what weed control challenges stand out?
Tom Peters:Bruce, you know that we've been doing this a long time, and with me and Sugarbeet, it's always about waterhemp. I think in 2026, we've done a pretty good job of controlling waterhemp. But in some cases, we haven't had good control. And in many cases, it's because we're planting sugar beet into a field that has a very, very heavy weed pressure. I wanna emphasize again that weed management in sugar beet is an integrated program approach, and that includes what you do in the crop rotation and the crop sequence. So if your previous crop is wheat, you need to do an outstanding job in wheat. If your previous crop is corn, you need to do an outstanding job in corn. Our best weed control in Sugarbeet is dependent on what you did the previous year.
Bruce Sundeen:Thanks, Tom. Our guest has been Tom Peters, NDSU and University of Minnesota extension sugar beet agronomist. This is the Sugarbeet Report, bringing you the latest information from NDSU throughout the sugar beet growing season.