Nowadays, some imported hybrids have replaced the traditional beet cultivars. However, no basic studies about the best plant density are available for the Brazilian environmental conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of spacing between lines and between plants on hybrid beet production. Experiment was set up in field at UNESP, from September 10th to December 8th, 2010. Two factors were studied, spacing between lines (EL) of 20 and 25 cm, and between plants (EP) of 7.5; 10.0 and 12.5 cm, in factorial scheme 2 EL x 3 EP, totalizing six treatments (plant populations from 246,400 to 513,333 plants ha-1, considering beds with 1.0 m wide and spacing between beds of 0.3 m). Experimental design was randomized blocks, with five replications and plots of 2 m2. Seeds of Boro hybrid were sown in polypropylene trays with 288 cells. The highest root average weight (116.1 g) was obtained in EL of 25.0 cm. For root length, difference was observed only for EP, with higher length (63.1 mm) with the highest spacing (12.5 cm). The higher EP or EL, the higher the values for root diameters were observed (65.6 mm for EP of 12.5 cm and 63.1 mm for EL of 25 cm). The highest yield (44.7 t ha-1) was obtained for the least EP (7.5 cm), while EL did not affect yield. Concluding, the best EP is 7.5 cm, because of the highest yield. For root dimensions, the highest EL (25.0 cm) and EP (12.5 cm) resulted in heavier roots with higher diameter.
Beta vulgaris; density; plant population
