Storage trails 2018: harvest day

Originally written for the NBR Facebook page:

There have been few benefits from the lack of rain in 2018 and NBRs research has not been immune to the challenges the year has thrown up. But one of our research trials may actually benefit from the dry. The trial is part of the harvest and storage series, and includes various rates of water availability as one of the treatments. We haven’t seen the results yet, but we can say with high confidence that the beets that were not irrigated did not have optimal growing conditions.

Today, 2018-10-16, was harvest day. With the hard working Hushållningsällskapet crew starting in the field directly, we managed to get the entire trial up and ready to be sent for analysis before the end of the day. The beets will be analysed to compare their mechanical properties  – resistance to penetration, resistance to squashing – and their storability. Beets from long-term liming trials will also be included in the analysis, to see how various rates of calcium availability impact these properties.