BACKGROUND: Cereals are the main crops in rotation following sugar beet harvest. However, a delay in planting winter cereals as a result of late sugar beet harvest is a disadvantage in sugar beet/cereal rotations. In this study, field trials were carried out to investigate the effects of sowing and harvesting dates on the yield and quality of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) and cereals (wheat, Triticum aestivum L., and six-rowed barley, Hordeum vulgare L.) during two consecutive years. Beet was sown on three dates and harvested on four dates, followed by cereals which were sown on four dates. Root yield and digestion ratio (sugar beet) and grain yield, 1000-kernel weight, test weight and protein content (wheat and barley) were determined. RESULTS: The highest root yield (52.53 t ha-1) was obtained from early sown (5 April) and late harvested (1 November) beet, while the highest digestion ratio (17.4%) was obtained from late sown (3 May) and late harvested (1 November) beet. Lower cereal grain yields were obtained from later sowings. The highest grain yields (5.87 and 6.02 t ha-1) were obtained from earlier sown wheat. Protein content was also affected by sowing date, which appeared to be very important under unstable climatic conditions. CONCLUSION: It is essential to consider the timing of sowing of cereal crops when unstable climatic conditions are present. Hence sowing date recommendations in regular climatic conditions may be misleading for countries dependent on winter rainfall for cereal production. © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry.