Sun flower crop is known to be the good consumable oil seed crop after seasame. It's parent country is Mexico. However, it is widely grown in India. Growing acreages of sunflower will not only provide oil but also helps in saving foreign exchange in big extent.
sun flower seeds for sale
seedling of sunflower seed
after 20 days of sunflower plantation
There are many health benefits of sun flower oil. Studies says that it has 80% of vitamin E, thus it helps in various heart related diseases. Sunflower seeds are high in antioxidants so that they prevent Cancer and they boost thyroid function. It improves skin health, lowers blood pressure, etc...
Cultivation practices of sun flower
Sun flower crop is quick in maturing depending on the cultivars and growing season. Sun flower crop is resistant to high temperature, dry lands, low water irrigation etc.... It requires very less water and they are grown throughout the year.
Normally, sun flower crop matures between 78 to 90 days depending upon the varities. So choose early cultivars for farming. They are also grown as rainfed region.
Climate and soil
It is grown in almost all type of soils and throughout the year. Extremely lower temperature are not suitable in growing season. For seed formation it requires moderate climate.
How to sow sunflower seeds
Sunflower seeds are sown by dibbling and furrow method. It is said that by dibbling method it requires 2 to 3 kg of sunflower seeds per acre. After two weeks seedlings comes up. We need to thin them. The plant population of sun flower per acre should be between 20,000 to 25,000 plants.
Fertilizer
Farmyard manure two weeks before plantation is needed. After that good ploughing should be undertaken to mix the farm yard manure.
Pests
Sunflower beetle, Seed weevil (red), Banded Sunflower Moth, Cutworms, Seed weevil (gray), Sunflower moth (head moth), Sunflower stem weevil, Wireworms etc...
Diseases
Alternaria, Phoma black stem, Downy mildew, Sclerotinia, Sunflower rust etc...
Harvesting
The sun flower crop takes 90 days for harvesting. It may differ depending on cultivars.
Yeild
For one acre the expected yield is 7 to 9 quintals per acre.
Price
At an average the price per quintals of sunflower seeds is between 3500 to 4000 rupees. If the seeds are processed to oil, there is a chance for higher profits.
