When beet are harvested they cease to fix sunlight and grow, but they are still alive. The energy they need for maintenance, and eventually for regrowth of the leaves, comes from respiration. Rapid respiration produces more heat, which can increase the temperature still further. Therefore, beet clamps must have adequate ventilation to allow this heat to escape. Bruising and damage During harvesting, it is inevitable that beet are damaged.
Damaged cells provide ideal sites for the growth of bacteria, yeasts and moulds.
These organisms also use the sugar in the beet as their energy source, giving out heat. Therefore, it is important to minimise the damage to beet going into store. Fig 97 Beet damaged during harvest are prone to fungal and bacterial rots. These spread rapidly through a warm clamp. When they thaw the ruptured cells of the beet start to leak.