The root crop, added by the housewives to the borsch or beetroot, is descended from wild beets, which grows in India and the Far East. This vegetable has several types, but the most common are feed and sugar. Each has its own characteristics. What is the difference between sugar beet and fodder? To answer this question, you need to compare these two types.
History
Previously, only beetroot leaves were eaten. For example, in Ancient Russia, they often cooked with botvini - cold kvass fish soup, which contained herbs, including beet tops. The roots were medicines. They have potassium, antioxidants.
There are many valuable elements in beets that remain even after heat treatment. Therefore, boiled vegetable also has benefits, as well as raw. Four types of root vegetables are known: table, fodder, sugar and leaf.
Fodder
To understand how sugar beets differ from fodder, you should consider both types of vegetables. In Russia, the root crop appeared in the XVIII century, and since then it began to be used in agriculture. Beetroot has become popular due to its unique properties. The culture is considered dairy, as it contributes to an increase in milk production in cows, sheep and goats. It has a positive effect on animal performance and offspring quality. In winter, the product allows them to receive the necessary vitamins and minerals.
Fodder beets are offered by some sellers as a dining room. Although they have a difference. Therefore, you should know how the beets are red leafy dining, fodder. The root vegetables are identical in chemical composition, but the dining room is considered more tasty, delicate, which is why it is more suitable for nutrition. This is a dark red beet. A feed plant is considered not only a technical crop, but also material for breeders. It was used for the cultivation of sugar beets, which is used to make sugar.
Sugar
Although sugar beets and fodder are similar, there is still a difference (difference). Feed varieties include some sugar - 1.3%. But with the help of breeders, new varieties have appeared that contain up to 20% sugar. Many of them were obtained by German scientists, since the chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf found that the sugar in the cane is similar to beet sugar.
Sugar root crop is not only used to make sugar. It is also grown for animal feed. In addition, during the manufacture of sugar, waste is used in various fields. In agriculture, they are used for livestock feed, soil fertilizer. In the food sector, they create black molasses, which is necessary for confectionery production.
Differences
What is the difference between sugar beet and fodder? The difference lies in the chemical composition. In stores and markets, product analysis is not performed. Therefore, you should be able to compare root crops by their type in order to understand how sugar beets differ from fodder.
The fodder species has several varieties that differ in the color of root crops and their shape. Usually vegetables are large. Their shape is cylindrical, conical, elongated-oval, spherical. Colors are also diverse: yellow, orange, white, red. During growth, most of the vegetable is located above the ground, so the top has a bright color.
What is the difference between sugar beet and fodder visually? Sugar beet is presented in the form of an elongated-conical white root. The vegetable cannot have other forms and colors. The root crop is located in the ground, so it does not have a bright color. The color of the vegetable is uniform.
What is the difference between sugar beet and fodder? The difference is in the number of nutrients. Sugar root contains a lot of sucrose. Feed type includes dietary fiber, fiber, protein. By these signs, you can easily determine the type of root crop. Vegetables are biennial plants with a complex structure of flowers and fruits.
Beet Care
They plant vegetables the same way. To get a good crop, weeds are constantly removed from the beds, watering the seedlings, loosening the aisles, and feeding are used. Due to loosening to a depth of 4-6 cm, the crust is destroyed, which complicates the penetration of air to root crops. It is important to perform cultivation during the development of the first leaves.
Up to 4-5 leaves, root crops develop slowly. Because of this, weeds are strongly affecting them. Eliminate them with tractor kerosene. They perform spraying of the site. The cultivation of such vegetables requires constant watering, especially if a lack of moisture is noticeable. After irrigation, row-spacing is required. Top dressing is performed using organic substances. For sugar and fodder beets, fertilizer types may vary.
Cleaning and storage
Harvested in the middle of summer. The maturity of vegetables is indicated by dry and yellow tops. Cleaning is best done on a cool day. Root crops should be dug up a bit so as not to damage them. Then they are cleaned of the earth, eliminated tops and dried. Vegetables should be stored in a dry room in which there is access of air with a temperature of 0-2 degrees.
Elevated temperatures can cause wilting and rotting of root crops. Crates should be on low supports so that lower vegetables can also cool. It is advisable to sprinkle beets with sand or chalk. You should also take care of protection against rodents. Although the external characteristics and internal properties of sugar beet and fodder are different, still the planting, top dressing and storage of all these species are by and large the same.