The sugar beet sequencing consortium comprises the Centre for Genomic Regulation (Barcelona), the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetic (Berlin), Bielefeld University, TU Dresden and two industry partners (KWS SAAT AG, Syngenta). One sugar beet cultivar has been sequenced to high quality (RefBeet assembly), genomes of four additional cultivars were assembled of Illumina-only data. Further assembly data are available from spinach (Spinacia oleracea), genomic sequencing data (not assembled) were generated from sea beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima), progenitor of all beet crops.