Sugar beet is a crop with a large round root. It is grown for the sugar which can be obtained from this root. A form of the common beet (Beta vulgaris) having fleshy white roots from which sugar is obtained. a vegetable that grows under the ground from which sugar is obtained. Variety of beet (Beta vulgaris) that accounts for about two-fifths of global sugar production, making it second only to sugarcane as a source of the world's sugar. Unlike sugarcane, sugar beets can be grown in temperate or cold climates in Europe, North America, and Asia; that is, within the densely populated, well-developed areas where much of the product is consumed. The sugar beet was grown as a garden vegetable and for fodder long before it was valued for its sugar content