Beta vulgaris is a highly variable taxon comprising the cultivated forms chard, beetroot, fodder beet, and sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L. ssp. vulgaris var. altissima Doll). The species is diploid with 2n=18 chromsomes and an estimated genome size of 714-758 Mbp. Among angiosperms, sugar beet is classified into the order of Caryophyllales (Amaranthaceae family), and no species within this order has been characterized thoroughly by genome wide mapping or whole genome sequencing previously.

Publication:
The genome of the recently domesticated crop plant sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) Nature 505, 546-549 (2014)