Planting Time and Cultivation Techniques for Oilseed Sunflowers

Oilseed sunflower, abbreviated as oil sunflower, is one of the four major oil crops in China and the world's second largest oil crop, widely cultivated in China.So when are oilseed sunflowers generally planted? What are the cultivation techniques?

1. Basic information about oilseed sunflowers

1. Distribution of oil sunflowers

The oil sunflower is the world's second largest oil crop, native to the Americas, and was introduced to China in the 15th century; it is now widely cultivated around the world. Moreover, the oil sunflower generally has strong adaptability, is drought-tolerant and salt-alkali tolerant, and has low soil requirements, so it can basically be grown and survive in most regions.

2. Value of oil sunflowers

The oil pressed from oil sunflower seeds is a healthy nutritional oil, rich in vitamin E, containing no erucic acid, no cholesterol, and no aflatoxin. Long-term consumption has effects such as being light, appetizing, moistening the lungs, tonifying deficiency, beautifying, and lowering blood lipids; pregnant women who regularly consume sunflower seed oil benefit fetal development and increase breast milk, and it plays an auxiliary role in treating “gestational diabetes.” In addition, hybrid sunflower oil can also be used for industrial production, and the residue after oil pressing can be used as protein feed.

3. Per-mu yield and benefits of oil sunflowers

The per-mu yield of oil sunflowers ranges from 200-400 kg; different varieties, planting conditions, and management techniques all affect the yield.

Generally, the cost input for planting oil sunflowers includes seeds, fertilizer, water and electricity, etc., about 500 yuan/mu. Calculated at a purchase price of 6 yuan/kg, the income per mu is 1200-2400 yuan, and the benefit after deducting costs ranges from 700-1900 yuan.

2. When are oilseed sunflowers generally planted?

Oil sunflowers do not have strict requirements for sowing time; they can be planted as long as there is no frost period. Generally, sowing is chosen when the soil layer at 10 cm is stable above 10°C.

Therefore, the general sowing time for oil sunflowers is after Awakening of Insects in the lunar calendar, sowing in early March, no later than late April, otherwise it will affect the planting of the next crop.

3. What are the cultivation techniques for oilseed sunflowers?

1. Preparatory work before sowing oil sunflowers

Although oil sunflowers have relatively strong soil adaptability, to obtain high-quality and high-yield oil sunflowers, you should still choose plots with deep, fertile soil, flat terrain, and uniform fertility; before sowing, deep plow the land, and combined with irrigation, apply compound fertilizer, farmyard manure, or organic fertilizer per mu.

2. Sowing and seedling-stage management of oil sunflowers

The planting density of oil sunflowers per mu is 3000-6000 plants, determined specifically according to soil fertility conditions. The sowing rate per hole is 1-2 seeds; after sowing, cover with soil and film; during the emergence period, promptly check and replant seedlings to ensure a full stand, and complete thinning to a final stand before the third pair of true leaves unfolds.

3. Field management techniques for oil sunflowers

Oil sunflowers should be given their first intertillage together with thinning; a second intertillage is carried out one week after final thinning; a third intertillage is carried out before the oil sunflowers close their rows. This intertillage should be combined with hilling, with a hilling height of 10-15 cm, to promote deep roots and luxuriant leaves and resistance to lodging; if planted on a large scale, use bumblebee pollination; for small areas, use manual pollination, preferably around 10 a.m. on sunny days, once every two or three days, and generally three pollinations are enough.

4. Water and fertilizer management techniques for oil sunflowers

Before the oil sunflower flower disc grows out, the demand for water and fertilizer is very small; when sufficient base fertilizer has been applied and sufficient bottom moisture has been provided, there is no need for topdressing or watering. After the flower disc grows out, combined with watering, apply 40 kg of compound fertilizer per mu as topdressing, 2-3 times; when around the end of June the oil sunflower stems and stalks turn yellow and withered, the leaves droop, the back of the flower disc turns yellow-brown, and the seed coat is hard, it can be harvested.

The above is the entire content introduced by the Tuliu.com editor regarding oil sunflower planting. For such a beautiful and easy-to-grow oil sunflower, don't you want to try planting it?