Internet star Bertie meets up with Grim Reaper
Internet star Bertie meets up with Grim Reaper
BERTIE the sugar beet, star of IACR-Brooms Barn web-site during the growing season, is no more. Hand harvested on Oct 4 he grew twice as big as expected, largely because of the early demise of his neighbour who was eaten by hares.
Sown on Mar 14 he had a cold start and did not merge until Apr 4. But he survived hail, wind and hare nibbling to produce a root weight of 2010g – much more than anticipated. "We had thought he might make 1kg," says researcher Mike May. "We knew he would compensate for the death of his brother, but not to that extent."
Taking into account the extra space Bertie had to expand, his yield ties in with the expected national average of 50-53t/ha (20-21.5t/acre), says Mr May.
Berties extra size meant his sugar content was only 15.76%. "That compares with the figure of about 17% being achieved across the country at the moment. If we had harvested him in November when sugar content peaks he would have been much sweeter. But we needed the space and he was in the way."
Nevertheless the plants output was enough to fill 79 sugar sachets weighing 4g each. A virus yellows -hit cousin lifted at the same time produced only 53 sachets, says field experiments manager Stephen Goward.
Linked to Brooms Barns weekly advisory bulletins, Bertie was conceived to help UK growers with internet access see how the crop was growing. But he also received fan emails from a sugar cane plant in Australia and a US beet grower, says Mr May.
"Fortunately, we were able to stop him getting too big for his boots and appointing a full-time publicity manager. We are now looking to name his successor for next season."
Bertie beet
• Brooms Barns internet plant.
• Double expected root weight.
• Relatively low sugar content.
• Watched by worldwide fans.
BERTIEBEET
• Brooms Barns internet plant.
• Double expected root weight.
• Relatively low sugar content.
• Growth watched worldwide.
Bertie, the internet beet, surpised Brooms Barn researchers Mike May (left) and Stephen Goward, with his performance.