Modeling crown temperature of winter sugar beet and its application in risk assessment for frost killing in Central Europe

Risk assessment for frost killing in Central European beet growing areas was based on weather data of the past 20 years provided by Germany's National Meteorological Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst, DWD). Our approach showed that at locations with mild winters, such as Cologne, the successful cultivation of winter sugar beet is possible with little risk of frost killing. On the contrary, growing winter sugar beet at places like Göttingen and Regensburg holds a high risk for frost killing. Finally, the presented approach needs to be improved with more accurate estimates of crown tissue temperature, and more precise determination of the lethal temperature of winter beets with the optimal taproot diameter.