Sugar beet is an important crop of arable rotations throughout the major growing regions of the UK. Commonly grown in conjunction with wheat, barley or pulses, sugar beet provides a valuable break crop returning organic matter to the soil and preventing the build up of disease. The root of the beet has a sugar content of around 17% and in the UK provides over half of the sugar we use. The balance comes from sugar cane that grows in tropical and semi-torpical regions of the world.