Root yield and sucrose metabolism of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris var. saccharifera l.) in response to essential oils of some apiaceae species

In this research it is aimed to determine the effects of essential oils of some plant taxons belonging to Apiaceae family: Hippomarathrum microcarpum, Heracleum platytaenium Boiss., Ferulago cassia Boiss., Echinophera tenuifolia, Daucus carota L., Charerophyllum byzantinum Boiss., Smyrnium connatum, Angelica sylvestris L., Anethum graveolens L. and Cuminum cyminum L. on sugar beet (Beta vulgaris var. saccharifera L.) root yield and sucrose metabolism. The research were conducted at 2016 in SDU Tarımsal Araştırma ve Uygulama Merkezi fields at 3 replicates. Essential oils at 1000 ppm consantration were applied to plant leaves 3 times at intervals of 20 days, starting 2 months after plant emergence. Root lenght, diameter and yield, Cercospora leaf spot infection and biological acvtivity, leaf chlorophyll content, root dry matter content, % brix, polar sugar content, glycine betaine content, alpha amino nitrogen content, raw sugar yield and purity were examined. Essential oil applications had a statistically significant effect on all other parameters except that root length. The highest root stem yield, leaf chlorophyll content, raw sugar yield and purity were obtained from A. graveolens L. and E. tenuifolia applications. C. cyminum (%18.87) and E. tenuifolia (%18.53) applications gave the highest polar sugar content. Polar sugar content significantly decrease with D. carota essential oil applications. A. graveolens L., C. cyminum L. and E. tenuifolia applications have shown high antifungal activity against Cercospora beticola. Essential oil apllications increased the sugar beet root yield by 15.6%, polar sugar content by 9.2% and raw sugar yield per decare by 25.6% compared to control. Glycine betaine content increased with the sssential oil apllications while alpha amino nitrogen content decreased compared to control. In general, it is understood that the essential oil applications have shown positive effect on sugar beet root yield and quality. Especially essential oils of E. tenuifolia, A. graveolens L. and C. cyminum L were more effective than other applications in terms of both root yield and quality and antifungal activity. In this study, it was concluded that the use of essential oils of E. tenuifolia, A. graveolens L. and C. cyminum L. in sugar beet could increase the root and sugar production per decare, however, these essential oils must be retried in different ecologies and different doses in order to determine the effectivity of the applications.