Milford chronicle., 1958-03-07
Long Research Rewards
II. Of ID. HOrticulturist

Fourteen years of research has
paid more than regular interest
on principal" for the chairman of
the horticulture department of the
University of Delaware
Prof Eugene P. Brasher, who
began project with Prof. L. R.
Detjen, horticulturist, now profess
sor emeritus, has developed a beet,
Deepest Red, that could be regard
ed as the nations best processing
beet.
Deepest Red is the result of a
cross involving an unnamed, long
season beet and a popular variety,
Perfected Detroit. In overall ra-
tings, the performance of Deepest
Red at Newark has been best
among eight top commercial varie-
ties tested. Its color, sugar con-
tent, and. texture are particularly
outstanding. Deepest Reds yield
is comparable with or superior to
varieties tested. 1t has low fiber
content, its flavor is among the
best.
So said a recent university re-
port announcing completion of tests
last season. Testing began in 1945
when the university librarian, Will
liam d. Lewis, brought the un-
named beet to Prof. Brasher to de-
termine its culinary qualities. The
beet had been propagated for gen.
erations by relatives of the librari-
an in Indiana. Although the un-
n q II
sugar content, and fine texture, its
shape and extra large size C to
S-inch diameter and 1916 inch
length) prohibited commercial use.
AT any rate, Prof. Rrasher de-
cided to try a cross with Perfected
Detroit, hoping to retain1 good
qualities of the unnamed beet and
the form of Perfected Detroit. This
was done during the 1945 season
by Prof. Brasher and Prof. Detjen
After the cross came the tedious
procedure of selecting beets with
the correct combination of Inherit
ed characteristics of both parents.
The unnamed beet was the female,
Perfect Detroit the male. Selection
went on in several generations for
IA years, many grown in the uni
versity greenhouse.
By 1854 the researchers had 81
selections that looked pretty
good. They retained six of the 81.
These six selections compared with
the best standard varieties in pro-
duction. From the six, four later
were discarded. Deepest Red,
rr,ir hn
ware 3, was the final result last
season.
The most significant feature of
Deepest Red was stated by a large
commercial professor: .'That beet
has the deepest color of IL varie-
ties in our trials" deepest Red
has been under test in. widely sep
arated areas of the United States.)
Prof. Brasher said the beet has
no white ''zoning" rings. iEarly in
the growing season very dim zon-
ing rings are evident in the roots. |
AS the season progresses, the rings |
disappear.
Prof. Brasher said Deepest Red
could replace some older varieties
planted on the 200 to 300 acres of |
beets now grown in Delaware,
since professors are looking for |
new crops. This also, could happen
in New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, and
Minnesota - states where great
amounts of beets are processed.
Prof. Brasher said Deepest Red
will probably not become popular
as fresh-market beet, because it |
is not as attractive as some other |
varieties. Home gardeners might |
like Deepest Red because of it's |
high quality.
Describing the new beet further,
Prof. Brasher said it grows two or
three inches taller than Detroit |
Dark Red, with both the exterior
and interior of deepest red. This
suggested the beet's name. Deepest |
Red is vigorous growing variety
with smooth greenish-purple leaves
and roots which are almost round
Even the very large beets are ten
der and excellent for dicing Or
slicing. The sugar content is one
of the highest among table beet
varieties.
The Delaware researcher said |
seed for the new beet will not be
commercially available until the |
1860 planting season.