THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CELL SIZE, YIELD, AND SUCROSE CONCENTRATION OF THE SUGARBEET ROOT

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Abstract
Increased root yields of sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) have generally been accompanied by decreases in sucrose percentage. Plant breeders have been unable to break this negative relationship. Cell size and cell number were measured microscopically from stained root cross sections. Two separate tests with genotypes typifying a wide range of genetic variation in sucrose percentage indicated an inverse relationship between sucrose percentage and cell size; i.e., high-sucrose genotypes had small cells and low-sucrose genotypes had large cells. In most cases, this relationship offers a reasonable explanation of the effects of nitrogen, polyploidy, ring number, ring density, and past selection methods on yield and sucrose percentage. Genetic differences in cell size and cell division rate were detected in young plants (3- to 4-wk-old seedlings).