Investor Presentaiton
Climate 2020, 8, 46
Yield (red) Sugar Content (blue)
50r
40-
30
201
10
A
₤950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
Year
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Figure 6. The Belgorod Region sugar beet yield (red - tons ha¯¹) and sugar content (blue - %). The linear
regression (trend) models are also shown, where the red line is sugar beet yield (tons ha¯¹) and the
blue line is sugar content (%).
The most optimal period climatically for sugar beet was the period between 1970 and 1987
(e.g., [20,22]). During this time-period, the temperature regime of this region contributed positively to
the outcome of crop yield, then from 1989-1996, the temperature regime became a negative influence.
Sufficient amounts of precipitation in combination with typical temperature conditions during the
intensive growth period for sugar beet ensures the establishment of a high yield. Then, dry and sunny
September conditions lead to sugar accumulation and the improvement in other characteristics for
the technological quality of sugar beet crops. Here, the contribution of the influence of agro-climatic
factors in the yield of sugar beet was estimated to be in the range of 12% to 18% (depending on the
land and soil characteristics). Furthermore, the sugar content of beets from 1954–2018 (Figure 9) in
this region correlated at -0.80 with HTC, which is significant at greater than the 99% confidence level.
The trend in sugar content of beets over this 60-year period in relation to the climate conditions as
represented by HTC in the Belgorod region showed a non-linear dynamic character (Figure 7). In spite
of the strong negative correlation both showed concurrent decreases albeit at different rates (Figure 9).
The decreasing trend in HTC was statistically significant at the 95% confidence level using the F-test,
but not statistically significant using the Mann-Kendal or Theil-Sen tests.
Then, Figure 7b shows significant variability in sugar content at wave numbers three, six, nine, 19,
and 24 corresponding to periods of roughly three, six to eight, 10, and 20 years. The cross-spectral
analysis (Figure 8b) shows significant peaks at wave numbers 16, 19, and 21, representing strong
variability at the two-to-four-year period, which is related to ENSO [14] in the region. Spatially,
the amount of precipitation during the growing season in the forest-steppe part of the Belgorod region
is 30-100 mm more than in the steppe, which provides an additional increase in yield of 1.5-5 tons ha¹
of sugar beet. However, the analysis above demonstrates that depending on the moisture character
of a growing season, the yield of sugar beet varies. This is due to interannual fluctuations in rainfall
during the critical growth period of beets during the year (from 100 to 300 mm), as well as the close
dependence of beet yields on precipitation in the second half of summer.View entire presentation