Root Crop Engineering Harvest of sugar beet

Sugar beets have been grown on an area of 360 000 ha in Germany. Growers used the stable conditions to purchase new equipment, manufacturers of harvest technology could sell their newest products and as a consequence the related innovations entered into the practice. High attention was given to mass loss reducing of beet topping. Two approaches are now established in the famers practice. Defoliation by two shaft choppers with flails and micro topping by cutting device have lowered the cut height for smaller plants. The average mass loss by traditional topping is estimated at 3 to 4 % of the beet mass. A new chassis with tow joints in the central frame and wheel steering on all axles has been launched by the company Kleine for tankers with load capacity of up to 40 m³. Loader cleaner are now offered with 10 m pickup device and liftable cabins.