Effect of Cuscuta (Dodder) on Quality and Quantity Traits of Sugar Beet in Chenaran, Khorasan Razavi Province

Dodder is an annual parasitic plant that has not chlorophyll. This parasitic plant can attach to many field crops such as sugar beet. Also this parasite consumes some water, nutrients and assimilates from plants which result in decreasing of quality and quantity of crops yield. This study carried out in Chenaran county, Khorasan Razavi province, in order to evaluation of damage effects of dodder on qualitative and quantitative traits of sugar beet in 2006. Three fields which naturally formerly have infested by dodder, selected in three locations (Ghezlar, Masi Hazrati and Moghan). Sowing date was nearly in April in all fields. At the harvest time, in November, in each field 20 sample of sugar beet roots separately were harvested. Harvest area of each sample was 8m2. Each sample selected from spots which indicated nearly 80-100 percentage infestation. Observations were paired samples and then 20 samples of uninfested spots (with zero percentage infestation) at neighboring rows of infested spots with the same area (8m2) were harvested. Samples were analyzed with qualitative and quantitative standard methods. Obtained data were analyzed by SAS Software with t test and samples compaired in pairwise comparisons. Results indicated that dodder in all sugar beet fields reduced root yield (RY), sugar content(SC), sugar yield (SY), white sugar content (WSC), yield, white sugar yield (WSY), 15.07%, 1.06 Unit, 20.35 %, 7.40 %, 1.89 Unit and 17.73%, respectively. Root potassium content and harmful nitrogen content on field infested spots reduced (8.55% and 8.02 % respectively), but Na content increased 24.3% and molasses Sugar content (MS) increased 11.16 %. Conclusion from this experiment showed that dodder damage and its harmful effects were highly significant in all farms in Chenaran. Therefore consideration of field sanitation related to attachment of dodder to sugar beet is completely necessary. Also it had better consider methods of dodder control either before attachment or after attachment to sugar beet seedling.