How Much Seed Is Needed per Mu for Oil Sunflowers
The oil extracted from oil sunflower seeds can be pressed into low-cholesterol, high-grade edible sunflower oil, and many people grow oil sunflowers. So how much seed is used per mu for oil sunflowers?
1. How Much Seed Is Used per Mu for Oil Sunflowers
For one mu of oil sunflowers, about one jin of seed is generally needed, with a spacing of 50 cm and a hill spacing of 30-40 cm, sowing 2 seeds together in small holes about 3-5 cm deep, and then carrying out field management and water and fertilizer care.
2. Oil Sunflower Cultivation Techniques
1. Sowing: When sowing oil sunflowers, first master the temperature well and pay attention to weather changes. In general, oil sunflowers can be sown when the soil temperature can remain above 5°C. If the temperature is too low, it will affect the emergence rate, and the seedlings are prone to frost damage. At the same time, pay attention to sowing depth, generally maintaining 3-4 cm as suitable. In addition, reasonable close planting should be carried out to increase oil sunflower yield.
2. Management: To ensure the emergence rate of oil sunflowers, seeds should be soaked before sowing. After emergence, replanting should be done in time, and the best method is transplanting seedlings to fill gaps, with replanting time preferably in the evening or on cloudy days. When the seedlings grow to two pairs of true leaves, thinning and final singling should begin, and the principle of final singling is to keep large and strong seedlings. For plots with poor soil and severe pest damage, the final singling period should be appropriately delayed according to the situation.
3. Fertilization: Cultivation can loosen the soil, prevent hardening, reduce water evaporation, and also eliminate weeds and reduce unnecessary nutrient consumption. Especially after rainy days, cultivation must be carried out in time. Although oil sunflowers do not have high soil requirements, fertile land is more conducive to oil sunflower growth. Therefore, throughout the entire growth process of oil sunflowers, topdressing should be carried out in a timely manner to enhance their ability to resist natural disasters. For plots with poor soil and insufficient base fertilizer, the amount of topdressing should be increased at the bud stage. Topdressing is generally applied in holes, and furrow application can also be used. Urea, compound fertilizer, etc. are suitable for topdressing.
4. Pollination: Oil sunflowers are cross-pollinated, and insects are the main pollination medium. Therefore, when the pollination medium is insufficient, artificial supplementary pollination should be carried out for oil sunflowers. There are mainly two methods of supplementary pollination: one is to use tools to collect pollen from the flower buds, and use a row brush or soft brush to gently smear these pollens one by one against the flower disk. The other method is the flower disk contact method. During full bloom, place two adjacent flower disks facing each other and gently rub them to achieve mutual pollination. Because oil sunflower planting areas are generally large, artificial supplementary pollination inevitably consumes a large amount of manpower and is relatively difficult, and the best method is still to use insects as the medium, which is the most scientific and ideal. For example, keeping bees near oil sunflower planting areas is beneficial to oil sunflower growth and can also provide honey income, achieving two goals at once.
Oil sunflowers can be pressed for oil, and the residue after oil extraction can also be used as protein feed. The sunflower disk and straw also have corresponding uses, and the economic benefits of planting are still quite good.