The effect of nitrogen-boron application and time on the nitrate content of sugar beet leaves used as animal feed

Nitrogen (N) and boron (B) fertilization is important for yield and quality in sugar beet cultivation. However, excess nitrogen (N) fertilizers cause negative effects on quality. The increase in nitrate content in sugar beet leaves used as animal feed is one of the quality parameters negatively affected. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of different doses of nitrogen, boron fertilization and time on nitrate accumulation in sugar beet leaves. The study was carried out on a field with a B content of 0.56 mg kg-1 in Elbistan district of Kahramanmaraş province. Experiment random blocks were set up in 3 replications according to factorial trial design. Five different doses of N (0, 9, 18, 27 and 36 kg N da-1) and 4 different doses of B (0, 200, 400, 600 g B da-1) were used in the experiment. Leaf samples were taken in July, August, September and October. According to the results of the research, as the applied N dose increased, the nitrate content of sugar beet leaves increased at statistically significant level. The effect of boron application on nitrate of leaves was not found to be significant. The decrease in nitrate content of sugar beet leaves towards the harvest period was found to be statistically significant. As a result, using sugar beet leaves as animal feed after harvest does not pose a risk to animals in terms of nitrate.