Seed :: Oil Seeds :: Sunflower
QUALITY SEED PRODUCTION IN SUNFLOWER
Land requirement

Land should be free of volunteer plants. 

The previous crop should not be the same variety or other varieties of the same crop.

It can be the same variety if it is certified as per the procedures of certification agency


Isolation

For certified / quality seed production leave a distance of 200 m all around the field from the same and other varieties /hybrids of sunflower


Land Preparation

Spacing

45*30

Pre-sowing seed treatment

  • Soak the seeds in water at 1:1 seed to solution ratio by volume for 16h and dry dress with thiram @ 2.5g kg-1 of seed for enhanced seed germination and field establishment

  • Soak the seeds with 2% KH2PO4 for 16 h and dry back to original moisture content and coat with polymer @ 3 ml/kg + imidachloprid@ 5 ml / kg + carbendazim @ 2 g / kg + Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10 g/kg (or)

  • Soak seeds in 2 % KNO3 for 6 h in 1:1 seed to solution ratio and dry back to original moisture content



Spacing

Fertilizer

Apply NPK @ 60:45:45 kg ha-1 as basal application

Foliar application

At the stage of button opening, spray 0.5% borax for increased seed set

Supplementary pollination

During flowering (7-10 days), rub the heads with muslin cloth between 8 – 11 AM at alternate days till the completion of flowering


Top dressing of fertilzer


Field view


Matured flower Head
Flowering

Harvesting
  • Harvest the heads when the drooping peduncular receptacle (thalamus) turns lemon or pale yellow in colour.
  • At this stage the seed moisture content will be 25  % and the seeds will be black in  colour
  • Harvest the heads and dry immediately until the seed moisture content reduced to 15 – 16 %.
  • Separate the seeds either with  mechanical thresher or by  manual labour

Seed grading

  • Grade the seeds using 9/64” (3.6 mm) round perforated metal sieve or BSS 7 x 7 wire mesh sieve
  • Upgrade the size graded using specific gravity separator
  • Remove the broken and dehulled seed from the lot

Seed treatment
  • Slurry treat the seeds with carbendazim @ 2g kg-1 of seed along with carbaryl @ 200 mg kg-1 of seed
  • Slurry treat the seeds with halogen mixture (CaOCl2 + CaCO3 + arappu leaf powder mixed in the ratio of 5:4:1 ) @ 3g kg-1as eco – friendly treatment

Storage

  • Store the seeds in gunny or cloth bags for short term storage (8-9 months) with seed moisture content of 8 - 9%
  • Store the seeds in polylined gunny bag for medium term storage (12- 15 months) with seed moisture content of 7 – 8 %
  • Store the seeds in 700 gauge polythene bag for long term storage (more than15 months) with seed moisture content less than 7%

Source
The Professor and Head,
Department of Seed Science & Technology,
TNAU, Coimbatore-641003.
Phone:0422-6611363
Email: seed@tnauin.ac.
 
 
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