Varieties: Detroit Dark Red and Imperator
Planting
The ideal planting season for beetroot is from August to January. Prepare the land to a deep friable condition to have least resistance to the root development. Incorporate well-decomposed FYM @ 20 t/ha during last ploughing. Recommended seed rate is 7 to 8 kg/ha. Pre-soaking of seeds for 12 hours in water facilitates better germination in the field. Before sowing, the seeds are treated with thiram or captan (2.5-3 g/kg of seed) to control pre-emergence damping off. It is usually grown on ridges to facilitate good root production. Ridges of about 20 cm height are formed 45 cm apart and seeds sown 15-20 cm apart on the rows. The seeds are mixed with fine sand and placed in rows by hand and covered with soil to make it firm around it. A light irrigation is given immediately after sowing.