Determination of soil loss by sugar beet harvesting

The amount of soil delivered to sugar factories is an important problem in terms of agriculture, environment and cost. Transported soil from the field after the harvesting of taproot and tuberous root plants, such as sugar beet (Beta vulgaris), potato (Solanum tuberosum) and chicory (Cichorium intybus L), has become the subject of erosion studies in recent years. The objective of this study is to estimate soil loss to crop harvesting (SLCH) in all beet growing areas in Turkey. The high amount of soil transported not only causes land degradation but also increases the cost of handling and, consequently, white sugar prices. At the same time, the adhering soil is rich in both organic matter content and major plant nutrients. In this study, a new approach is developed to determine the amount of soil transported from field to factory or beet receiving centers, and the parameters determining SLCH, mainly in sugar beet harvesting, are evaluated. Furthermore, the evaluation of soil loss due to beet harvesting by either the joint or separate application of mechanized and traditional harvesting techniques is explained. According to this approach, the amount of soil transported from the field is calculated to be 3.36 Mg ha(-1) from approximately 300,000 ha of sugar beet growing area in Turkey. The annual cost of transporting the soil from field to beet reception centers is estimated to be 10 million US dollars. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.