All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Sunflower

ZARS, BANGALORE

Mandates

Basic and strategic research to augment the productivity, oil content and quality of sunflower.
Information management on oilseeds to develop policy. framework for research and development strategy.
Coordination of applied research on national and regional issues to develop location specific varieties and technologies.
Dissemination of technology and capacity building.
Maintenance breeding of parents of hybrids.
To develop region-specific high yielding varieties/ hybrids with resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses.
To develop economically viable production and protection technologies to augment the production.

On Going Research Programmes

Biotechnological interventions for developing hybrids resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses.
Developing agronomically superior hybrids with diversified CMS source tolerant to major pests & diseases.
Development of suitable forewarning systems to promote forecast – based pest & disease management.
Development & Popularization of technologies for diversified uses of sunflower.
Optimization of best management practices for maximizing economic yield.
Screening of sunflower entries resistant or tolerant against pests and diseases to be used in breeding programmes for higher seed and oil yield.
On farm testing of DOR Bt 127 against defoliators and capitulum borer of sunflower.

Thrust Areas of Research

Augmentation, evaluation and characterization of genetic resources.
Basic, strategic and applied research to increase productivity and oil content.
Socio-economic research for assessing the sustainability of the technologies.
Coordination of multilocation research programmes to develop hybrids and technologies of state and national importance
Evaluation of Organic Pest Management practices against major pests and diseases of Sunflower.

Research accomplishments

UAS, Bangalore was the first in the country to give a thought and initiate work on heterosis breeding for the development of sunflower hybrids.
The centre has developed and released 2 varieties EC 68415 in 1974 and Morden in1978 and 7 hybrids viz, BSH 1 in 1980,KBSH-1 in 1992 and KBSH-44 in 2002 at National level; KBSH-41 & KBSH-42 in 2001 powdery mildew
resistant KBSH-53 in 2008 and KBSH 78 in 2018 for Karnataka state.
In addition, KBSH-71, KBSH-72, KBSH-73, KBSH-74,KBSH 79,KBSH 84 and KBSH 85 were found promising in All
India Co-ordinated trials and are in pre-release stage.

Commercialisation Of Sunflower Hybrids

KBSH-41 commercialized with M/s East African Seed (U) Ltd., Kampala, Uganda during 2015.
KBSH-79 and KBSH-44 commercialized with Mahyco Pvt Ltd during 2018.
KBSH-53 commercialized with Invicta Agritech Pvt Ltd during 2020.

Crop Production & Protection Technologies:

Response of sunflower for application of Zinc Sulphate and Borax.
For Kharif sunflower on Alfisols, fertilizer is the most important constraint followed by thinning and weeding for realizing higher sunflower production and profitability.
Use of bio-fertilizer Azotobacterchrococcumasseed treatment (150g /kg seed) in Sunflower (Zone-4 &5).
In Alfisols at Bengaluru, Sunflower responds significantly and economically up to 120 kg N and 90 kg P2O/ha.
Re-assessment of fertilizer recommendation (90:90:60 v/s 60:75:60 kg NPK/ha) for sunflower (Zone-4 & 5).
Growing legumes preceding sunflower can save 25 kg/ha of nitrogen with an increase of 17% higher yield and a higher B:C ratio of 2.22 Vs 1.79 without growing legumes in Alfisols in southern dry zone Karnataka.
Soil test based fertilizer application with balance fertilization with NPK has resulted in 33% higher seed yield and a B:C ratio of 2.03 over farmer’s practice (1.72).
Application of 100% RDF +5t FYM/ha for groundnut in Kharif and application of 100% RDF for succeeding Rabi
sunflower increased the system yield (16%) and system economics (B:C ratio of 2.77) in Alfisols in southern Dry
zone of Karnataka.
Management of Alternaria leaf spot: Spraying Dithane– M-45 or Dithane-Z-78 (@2.5g/L) at 20, 40 and 60 DAS.
Management of downy mildew: Seed treatment with Apron 35SD (metalaxyl compound) @ 5 g/kg of seeds before sowing.
Management of sunflower necrosis virus disease: Seed treatment with Imidacloprid 70WS @ 5 g/kg, just before sowing + spraying imidacloprid 200SL (@0.5ml/L at 25 & 45DAS.
IPM module to manage pest complex in sunflower.
Management of defoliators in sunflower: One need based spray application of Profenophos 50 EC (@1ml/lit.)in the pre-flowering stage for the management of defoliators in sunflower.
Management of sunflower necrosis virus disease: seed treatment with thiomethoxam (cruiser) @4g/ka seed and sprays of thiomethoxam @ 0.05% at 30 and 45 DAS.
Management of Powdery mildew: Spray wettablesulphur 80WP @ 0.3% or difenoconazole 25EC @ 0.05% as soon as the symptoms appear and at 15 days interval depending upon the severity of the disease.
Management of capitulum borer(Helicoverpaarmigera): Two spray applications of Spinosad 45SC @1 ml/ 10 lit. first at star bud stage and second spray 15days later for the management of Helicoverpaarmigeraas an alternative to endosulphan 35EC (2 ml/lit.).
(B:C ratio of 2.77) in Alfisols in southern Dry zone of Karnataka.