As harvested, topped sugar beets are stored, sugar is lost due to respiration (consumption)by the living beet root. Air temperature has a large influence on sucrose losses in storage, but losses are also influenced by the condition of the beet coming into storage (grown under proper fertility and moisture), the amount of physical damage received during harvest and piling, and the presence of storage rots. Little is known about the amount of storage loss incurred when piling beets in small piles on farms in Ontario. The main objectives of this trial were

1. Document weight losses and changes in sugar quality of “early” and “late” piled sugarbeets.
2. Determine the weight losses and changes in sugar quality in response to the length of time sugarbeets are stored in clamps.
3. Document the effect of beet position in the clamp on weight loss and changes in sugar quality and quantity.
4. Compare storage characteristics of different varieties of sugarbeet.
5. Compare storage characteristics of flailed vs. scalped beets.