Sapotnits'kyj I. Microwave treatment of sugar beet seed

For the first time, the problem of the use of microwave treatment of sugar beet seeds with the aim of improvement of their sowing qualities and yielding abilities was solved. Different kinds of seeds were tested. The natural seed treatment with a microwave field in regimes of 80 and 100 seconds (with seed dressing after stimulation) increased seed vigor, laboratory germination and field emergence and gave the possibility to get considerable additional increases of root yield, sugar content and sugar yield under condition of both insecure and sufficient moistening. A positive effect of microwave field treatment of incrusted seed was not stable and it appeared under dry conditions in the period of sowing and seed germination, while the stimulation of pelleted seed did not influence its yielding abilities at all. It was established that seed treatment should be carried out some 10…60 days before sowing. If the seed treatment with microwave field is carried out earlier, the positive effect of microwave treatment is lost. Seeds of diploid and triploid forms of sugar beet respond to microwave treatment during 100 seconds practically in a similar way, while there is no reaction of seed of tetraploid form to stimulation, which is connected with the features of pericarp structure of this form.