Tehran – The Deputy of Research and Technology at the Sugar Beet Research and Seed Production Institute announced the registration of 45 new domestic sugar beet varieties in the national plant variety list.

 

Over the past decade, the institute has consistently introduced an average of two new varieties annually.

These improved varieties are specifically bred for spring cultivation and exhibit enhanced resistance to key diseases such as rhizomania, rhizoctonia, and nematodes. For autumn cultivation, the focus has been on developing varieties with robust bolting resistance.

Abazar Rajabi emphasized the institute's and the Ministry of Agriculture's strategic focus on expanding autumn cultivation.

He said, "Given the critical challenge of water scarcity, a strategic plan has been implemented to increase the area under autumn-sown sugar beet to at least 50,000 hectares by the conclusion of the Seventh Development Plan.

Currently, this area stands at approximately 30,000 hectares. The introduction of these two new varieties is anticipated to significantly contribute to meeting the growing demand for autumn-sown sugar beet, particularly in the southwestern regions of the country."