Field Crops> Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)> Insect Pests

There are a number of insect pests associated with this crop but only a
few sporadic pests cause serious damage to it.

Seedling Pests

Seedlings are cut at ground level by cutworms usually in patches throughout the field especially if sunflower is sown after potato or in a vegetable area.

Control Measures: (1) Apply 4 litres of Methyl parathion 50 EC per hectare with irri&ation water. Dust of 2% Methyl parathion @ 25-30 kg/ha can be used in soil before sowing if the area is known for cutworm infestation.
(2) Ridge sowing reduces the damage due to cutworms.

Foliage-feeding Pests

Various leaf-feeding caterpillars like tobacco caterpillar, Bihar hairy caterpillar, Lucerne caterpillar, semi-looper, etc., damage the crop. The damage is sporadic and at times very serious. Apart from these caterpillars aphids and jassids suck the sap from the leaves. The jassids suck the sap from leaves and may cause 'hopper-burn'.

Control Measures: For the control of various leaf-feeding insects, any one of the insectisides, viz., Folithion or Sumithion 625 millilitre per hectare or Endosulfan 35 EC 1250 millilitre per hectare may be used in 1000 litres of water.

Aphids and jassids can be controlled by spraying Oxydemeton methyl (Metasystox) 25 EC or Dimethoale (Rogor) 30 EC at the rate of 1 litre per hectare in 1000 litres of water.

Ear Head Pests

(1) Apart from the ear head insects like bugs, tobacco caterpillar and gram caterpillars damage the flowers and kernels. A small tygaeid Nysius sp. frequents the flowers and bites the workers around neck. Parrots and birds eat away the kernels while testa is thrown to the ground.
(2) Spray of Delfin at the rate of 1.0 litre per hectare is quite effective
against head borer.

Control Measures: The crop can be protected for a few days from parrots by dusting 5% malathion dust on both sides of the flower heads when attack starts. Scaring away the birds is at present the only successful method to avoid losses.

There is always problem of seed filling in heads' Spray of 0.2% borex on capitulum at ray-floret opening stage improves the seed filling.