🌻 Sunflower

Basics

• Botanical Name: Helianthus annus
• Family: Compositae
• Helios = Sun and Annus = Flower
• Auxin activity is more in apical portion of flower
• Highest production of sunflower: Karnataka

Climate

• Sunflower is also a wide spectrum adoptable crop, grown in all 3 seasons.
• It requires subtropical climate.
• The requirement of annual rainfall varies from 300-1500 mm.
• Best suited temperature for crop growth is between 20-25ºC.
• During vegetative phase, crop requires cold temperature.
• Higher temperature (> 38ºC) during reproductive stage reduces the oil content.
• Sunflower is a Day Neutral Crop.

  

• It has high seed multiplication ratio (> 1 : 80).
• Sunflower has high quality edible oil (45-50 per cent).
• PUFA content is highest in – Safflower. Sunflower has no saturated fatty acid content, so it is safe for heart patients.
• Percentage unsaturated fatty acid – 78 per cent.

  

• The head/inflorescence of sunflower is called as Capitulai.
• Sunflower has ray and disc floret, in which Ray floret is for beautifulness (attraction of pollinators) and Disc floret forms seed and have male & female flowers.

  

• Chaffiness means non filling of seed.

  

• Sowing time:
  • Kharif: July to 1st week of August
  • Rabi: November 1st to 2nd week
  • Summer: February 2nd week
• Seed rate: 8-10 kg/ha
• Spacing:
  • Kharif: 45 x 30 cm
  • Rabi: 50 x 20 cm
  • Summer: 60 x 30 cm
• Irrigation:
  • Kharif: No need
  • Rabi: 3-4 irrigation
  • Summer: 5-6 irrigation
• Critical stages:
  1. Seedling stage (10-12 DAS)
  2. Bud initiation/Button/Knee high stage (30-35 DAS)
  3. Flowering stage (50-55 DAS)
  4. Seed development stage (70-90 DAS)
• Varieties: Modern, MSFH-8,17, Jwalamukhi, KBSH-1, JS-1, Sunrise selection, EC 68413
• Sunflower is intercropped with Groundnut, Arhar, Urd etc.
• Sunflower plant release allelopathic chemicals into the soil that inhibit the germination of succeeding crop.
• Weed management: Pendimethalin @ 1.5 kg ai/ha followed by hoeing at 30 DAS.

  

• Sunflower is matured at 90-120 days after sowing, when 10 per cent of head become brown and the disc floret attached to the tip of the head drop down the crop.
• Yield: 20-30 qt/ha.