Ahvaz – Shifting sugar beet farming from spring to autumn in Khuzestan has enabled farmers to capitalize on rainfall and cut irrigation water use, a model now being institutionalized by the province's agricultural research center, a researcher says.

 

Hossein Kazemi, a researcher at the Khuzestan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Training Center, described sugar beet as a strategic crop for Iran's sugar supply, adding that expanding its cultivation supports national self-sufficiency.

 

“Beyond economic gains, he noted the crop's valuable role in crop rotation, soil structure improvement, weed management, and long-term production sustainability.”

 

Kazemi explained that while sugar beet can be grown in both spring and autumn, Khuzestan has adopted the autumn cycle.

 

“This shift allows the crop to benefit from seasonal precipitation and significantly improves water use efficiency during the growing season—a critical advantage given the country's limited water resources.”

 

He highlighted the "technological maturity" stage, when root sugar content peaks and impurities hit their lowest level, directly influencing beet quality and sugar extraction efficiency at processing plants.

 

Adhering to technical harvest guidelines, proper field management, and timely delivery to factories are essential to preserving quality and preventing yield losses, Kazemi stressed.

 

He also emphasized the need for hands-on training and transferring research findings directly to farms to enhance sugar beet productivity across Khuzestan.