What are the methods to improve the seed-setting rate of sunflowers
Sunflowers may be the favorite flower of some people who love eating sunflower seeds. In fact, sunflower seeds can not only be processed into snacks for eating, but can also be used for oil extraction. It is an economic crop used for both food and industry, and it also has a certain ornamental value, so its planting prospects are relatively good. But many people discover a problem when planting them, which is that the seed-setting rate of sunflowers is relatively low. So how should we improve its seed-setting rate? Details are as follows:
1. Base fertilizer
After sunflowers grow up, the plants become relatively tall with luxuriant roots and leaves, so their fertilizer demand is also relatively large. Before planting, we should apply enough base fertilizer, and the base fertilizer should include comprehensive nutrients such as farmyard manure and compound fertilizer. This ensures that sunflowers have sufficient nutrient supply for growth during the growing process. According to the soil fertility, make up for the deficiencies, appropriately add the nutrients lacking in the soil to the base fertilizer, improve the seed-setting rate of sunflowers, and increase yield.
2. Density
Plan the planting density properly according to different varieties and planting areas. The planting density must be moderate. If it is too sparse, it will cause the plants to grow excessively, and the sunflower head area will become larger, thus requiring more nutrients, leading to more empty seeds. But if planted too densely, it will cause the plants to be short and the heads to become smaller, also increasing the number of empty seeds, reducing yield and seed oil content. So the planting density should be controlled well according to actual conditions and the surrounding environment.
3. Topdressing
As just mentioned, sunflowers have a very large fertilizer demand, so while applying enough base fertilizer, we also need to carry out appropriate topdressing work, so as to meet the nutritional needs of sunflowers at each stage. The period when sunflowers have the greatest fertilizer demand is during the budding stage and flowering stage. At this time, topdressing is needed. The topdressing fertilizer can be nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer, with a well-controlled ratio. However, in the later stage of growth, nitrogen fertilizer should no longer be applied as topdressing, because it may cause sunflowers to remain green and mature late.
4. Watering
Sunflowers are relatively drought-tolerant, and that is because sunflowers have sufficient water storage. Certain growth stages of sunflowers need water very much. For example, during the budding stage and flowering stage, the water demand in these two stages may reach half of that during the whole cultivation period, so the water supply must be guaranteed. If sufficient water is not provided, then it will have a certain impact on the growth and development of the head. So we should water appropriately according to factors such as the growth stage of sunflowers and soil moisture content, to promote growth and improve the seed-setting rate.
5. Diseases
Disease control is very important. Whether disease control work succeeds or not is directly related to the seed-setting rate. The disease that harms sunflowers the most is sclerotinia rot, which can directly cause the head to rot, severely reducing the seed-setting rate, or even causing total crop failure. There is an extremely high incidence rate every year. We need to carry out pesticide prevention according to the onset time of sclerotinia rot. Quintozene can be mixed with fine sandy soil and sprinkled on the soil where sunflowers are planted, then shallow plowing can be done once, and after half a month it can be sprayed again, which can effectively prevent it.
The above are the methods for improving the seed-setting of sunflowers. In fact, what the editor has discussed are some factors that affect the seed-setting rate. If management is not done properly, these factors will all have a considerable impact on the seed-setting rate. It should be noted that the agent for treating sclerotinia rot needs to be sprayed when the temperature reaches about 20 degrees, the optimal temperature for sclerotia germination, in order to achieve effective control. This article is for reference only, and I hope it can help everyone.