Seed and Oil Yield Productivity of Sunflower (Helienthus annus L.) Hybrid Varieties in Different States of India

The Field trials on sunlower crop were conducted in different in states of India during the year from 2005-6 to 2006-7. The Regional Station Fof Fodder Production Demonstration,Government of India, Department of Animal Husbandry Dairying Fishries provided all inputs to conduct the tirals in the area under their juridiction to evaluate the suitable hybrids varieties of sunlower crop, their optimum sowing season,numbers of irrigations vs rainfed conditions of cultivation including other agronomic package of practices. Government of India has strong feed and fodder development organization. There are several centrally sponsered schems like estabishment of fodder banks, development of forage crops through biotechnology research, minikits distribution in the country. Central government distributed latest variety seeds in the country to a tune of cost of Rs 7.00 crores through eight Regional Station for Fodder Production and Demonstrations. The sunflower is a multi purose crop and may be good source of animal feeds as an un-conventional feed resource. Sunflower can be grown with forage crops also. RSFPDs organised sunflower trials in different states to evaluate sunflower production in northern and southern parts of India. The varieties and hybrids released by AICRP (Sunflower) for different regions were selected for field trials. India has tropical and subtropical climate from south to north, respectively. Tamilnadu and Maharastra face the tropical while, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh experience a sub-tropical type of climate having February and March as spring season in northen India. All India released hybrid varieties PSFH-118 and HSFH-848 were grown at Ludhiana, Punjab and Hisar in Hariyana under irrigated conditions. Hybrid vaiety HSFH-848 performed better with seed yield (1712.3 kg/ha) than PSFH-118 1635.5 kg/ha. Data shows that oil content (38.6%) was higher in the seeds of cultivar HSFH-848. Maximum plant hieght (165.4 cm) and head diameter (16.2 cm) were found higher in the variety HSFH-848 at Hisar. Hybrids namely TCSH-1, LSFH-35, RSFH-1 (Tunga), NDSH-1 were grown at Alamadi (TN), Gunegal (A.P.), Akola (M.H.), Hesarghatta (KA) on government farms under irriagated conditions during 2005-6-2006-7. Sunflower hybrid produced maximum oil content/yield was recorded 40.8% NDSH-1 in southern India. Sunflower hybrids RSFH-1 and LSFH-35 has higher productivity under irrigated conditions in tropical climate.