the traditional classification, according to the primary storage carbohydrate, into sucrose-, fructan-, and starch-Introduction of the fructan crops root chicory (Cichorium intybus crops, is becoming increasingly inappropriate. A recent L.; RC) and Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.; JA) into example is the creation of a fructan beet through inagricultural production systems is desirable to diversify crop rotation. Field experiments were conducted to compare the agronomic perfor-serting into sugarbeet a single gene from Jerusalem artimance of RC and JA with sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.; SB). One choke that encodes an enzyme which converts sucrose set of cultivars during 1995, 1996, and 1997 and an additional set in 1997 to fructan (Sé venier et al., 1998). From an agroecological were grown on a sandy loam soil (Haplic Luvisol) at Braunschweig, point of view, it is desirable to have for each kind of Germany. Crops were cultivated with and without supplemental irrigaagricultural raw products one or few alternative crops, tion, complete and no weed control (1995 and 1996), and N fertilization instead of a single multiple-use major crop. However, rates of 0, 60, and 120 kg ha Ϫ1 . Severe water stress caused significant under present conditions in agriculture, root chicory and but similar storage organ yield losses in all crops, whereas mild water Jerusalem artichoke will only become true alternative stress mainly affected JA yields. Averaged across years and N levels, sugar crops if the raw materials are produced at prices storage organ yield losses through weed competition under irrigation competitive to those of established high yielding crops. amounted to 70, 47, and 8% in SB, RC, and JA, respectively. Averaged across years, in the absence of water and weed stress, SB, RC, and