Sugar beet processing plant chimney. View of a chimney at a sugar beet processing plant. Steam is seen rising from the chimney as large quantities of water are evaporated from the sugar beet in the plant. Sugar beet is a white-rooted plant which yields sugar. By controlled breeding, its sugar content has been raised from 5% to over 20%. It is extensively cultivated in temperate regions of the world, including Europe and North America. About one third of the world's sugar is produced from sugar beet. Photographed in Newark, Nottinghamshire, England.