Detailed Explanation of Key Field Management Techniques for Sunflowers

The flower language of sunflowers is faith, brilliance, pride, and loyalty. It chases the sunlight and has its unique charm, and it is also very common in our daily lives. Products such as sunflower oil and sunflower seeds in shopping malls are all products of sunflowers. A large field of sunflowers is also a very beautiful scenery. So when planting sunflowers, how do we carry out field management to improve their yield and quality? Let's take a look together below.

1. Intertillage and Weeding

After sunflowers are transplanted and survive, in order to promote their growth, we need to frequently carry out intertillage and weeding, because weeds are very harmful to them. During the growth period of sunflowers, generally three rounds of intertillage and weeding are needed. At the same time, attention should be paid to the depth of intertillage: it must not damage the roots, but it should also maintain soil permeability. The first intertillage is generally carried out within one week after transplanting and survival, the second is generally at the early stage of seedling growth, and the third is carried out before ridge closing.

2. Water and Fertilizer Management

During the entire growth period of sunflowers, the water demand is greatest at the bud stage, when the water requirement can account for half of the total water amount. Also, during this period, water shortage must absolutely be avoided, otherwise the yield and quality of sunflowers will be severely damaged. Next, during the period from flowering to maturity, sunflowers also have a relatively large demand for water, and the soil should be kept moist. In the early stage of sunflower growth, we mainly use nitrogen fertilizer. After it flowers, we mainly use potassium fertilizer, combined with foliar fertilizer. Of course, it also needs to be used together with microfertilizers such as boron fertilizer and zinc fertilizer, so that the effect of topdressing is better.

3. Branch and Leaf Management

Some varieties of sunflowers will branch when they grow to a certain extent. This increases the sunflower's water demand and nutrient consumption, so we need to remove them in time. But one thing to note is that this should be done as early as possible, and we cannot wait until they grow large before removing them, as this will increase damage to the plant. Finally, we also need to remove the old leaves, withered leaves, and diseased leaves at the bottom of the sunflower plant. This can improve field ventilation and light penetration, reduce nutrient consumption, and also help avoid pests and diseases.

4. Supplemental Pollination

In order to improve the seed-setting rate of sunflowers and increase the pollination success rate and yield of sunflowers, we also need to carry out artificial supplemental pollination when necessary. First, we can release bees artificially for pollination and arrange the bee colonies scientifically. Second, we can use the method of dividing and collecting, then carrying out contact pollination. When pollinating, note that it is best to do it from 9 a.m. to before 11 a.m. If the planting area is too large and pollination is not completed in the morning, then it needs to wait until after 3 p.m. Noon is not suitable for pollination, and the success rate is extremely low.

5. Pest and Disease Control

The management of pests and diseases is also worth our attention during sunflower planting. Among them, the main diseases are rust and sclerotinia, which harm sunflowers. We can use mancozeb wettable powder plus triadimefon wettable powder, and thiophanate-methyl wettable powder, respectively, for control. At least two sprayings are needed, generally once every ten days or so. Also, attention should be paid to the harm to sunflowers from pests such as beetles, scarab beetles, cotton bollworms, and stem borers. Trichlorfon crystals or pyrethroid insecticides can be used for control.

The field management work for sunflowers is actually very simple. We basically just need to follow the management process above. Due to limited energy on the editor's part, some of the content is introduced relatively simply, but if you need anything, you can leave a message for the editor for consultation.