Analysis of the Latest Causes of Sunflower Yield Reduction
The sunflower is not only an ornamental flowering plant of relatively high value. It is also one of China's main oilseed grain crops, and its seeds are the sunflower seeds commonly seen in our daily lives. It is very popular in China and is grown over a large area. However, many people tend to see reduced yields when growing sunflowers. So what causes sunflower yield reduction? Below, the editor will give you a brief introduction. Let's take a look together!
1. Drought
Although the sunflower is a crop with relatively strong drought resistance, this does not mean that sunflowers need little water during growth. On the contrary, the sunflower is a crop with a relatively high water requirement. According to surveys, for every 1 kg or so of dry matter produced by sunflowers, the water requirement reaches about 500 kg. From the bud stage until the end of flowering, the sunflower has its period of greatest water demand. During the entire growth period of the sunflower, this period accounts for about 60% of its water demand. If water is lacking during this period, it will cause poor pollination and abortion in sunflowers, thereby reducing yield.
2. Improper Management
When growing sunflowers, management work is very important, and poor management is also a main cause of sunflower yield reduction. However, management problems mainly occur among some small-scale growers. For many small-scale growers, they only handle sowing and harvesting when growing sunflowers. Basic management work such as water and fertilizer management and pest and disease control is not done properly. Especially during the key growth stages of sunflowers, a lack of water and fertilizer will seriously hinder the growth of sunflowers, increase the empty seed rate, and reduce yield.
3. Poor Pollination
The male and female flowers of sunflowers are positioned differently, and generally the stamens mature earlier than the pistils. Therefore, the male and female flowers of sunflowers have incompatibility, making self-fertilization failure easy to occur. In addition, the sunflower is a cross-pollinated crop, and pollination is mainly carried out by insects. Therefore, if pollination vectors are lacking, the pollination and seed-setting rate of sunflowers will decrease, and yield will decline as a result. Moreover, in recent years, the unrestricted use of chemical pesticides has led to a decline in insect numbers. If artificial pollination work is not done well, the pollination rate of sunflowers will be very low.
4. Environmental Impact
After sunflowers enter the flowering and pollination period, if they encounter rainy days, the flowering period will be delayed, resulting in poor flower quality and a small number of blooms. The maturation time of the stamens and pistils will also be delayed as a result. And if they encounter high-temperature and drought weather, then the flowering period of sunflowers will be advanced, resulting in insufficient pollen and the inability to carry out pollination and fertilization normally. Moreover, during rainy days, bees and other main pollinating insects will also stop their activities, affecting the pollination of sunflowers.
The above is a brief introduction to the causes of sunflower yield reduction. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can help everyone!