Field Crops> Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)> Seed and Sowing

The seed before sowing should be treated with Apron 35 SD at the rate of 6 g per kg of seed. Bold and certified seeds should be used.

Time of Sowing

Sunflower, unlike most other crops, is not affected with the season and day length. With the exception of freezing temperatures, the sowing of sunflower can be done in any month of the year. However, experimental results have shown that the optimum time of sowing of sunflower in the north for Kharif, Rabi and Zaid crops is the first fortnight of July, second fortnight of October and the first fortnight of March, respectively. Sowing sunflower earlier or later than these periods is disadvantageous to this crop. If Kharif crop of sunflower is sown in June, it suffers from lodging, as heading stage coincides with the heavy rain period of early September. The Rabi crop sown late in December or January does not make proper germination and growth and heads of smaller size are produced. Similarly Zaid crop sown late in April suffers from heavy rains at harvest time which hampers proper harvesting and threshing of the produce.

Spacing, Seed Rate and Depth of Sowing

A seed rate of 8-10 kg per hectare is sufficient to ensure good crop stand. Sunflower should be sown 60 centimetre apart in lines with a plant to plant spacing of 20 centimetre. The seed should be sown at 3-4 centimetre depth for better stand. Sowing can be done by corn planter in the furrows.

After 10-12 days of germination, extra seedlings should be uprooted to provide a space of 20 centimetre between plants in rows.