Anatomical characteristics of hypocotyl of sugar beets different in sugar content

Six seedling hypocotyl anatomical characters of sugar beet diploid lines and triploid hybrids were measured. Root yield and sugar content of these lines and hybrids were evaluated in replicated field trials. Some of the studied hypocotyl characters: the diameter of the central core, the diameter of parenchymatic cells outside the central core and the width of xylem, correlated negatively with sugar content and positively with root yield. This suggests that these parameters can be used in preliminary selection of sugar-beet breeding material. Introducing such criteria into the breeding process could speed up the selection and reduce the number of expensive field trials.