Formulation of weekly and monthly thumb rule models for prediction of potential productivity of sunflower in Punjab

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of meteorological parameters on Sunflower crop by analyzing meteorological and crop data (2003-2017) for three locations (Ludhiana, Ballowal Saunkhari and Amritsar) and to develop weather based “Weekly and Monthly Thumb Rule Models” for predicting the potential yield of sunflower crop in Punjab. These climatic normals were used for comparing the actual data to evaluate the effect of meteorological parameters on the yield of sunflower. In Punjab, ideally humid (maximum relative humidity between 77% - 94%) weather from mid-February to mid-March is favourable for optimum growth and development of vegetative stage in crop. The warm temperature (>35 ºC) during the seed development period after the flowering stage of sunflower is favourable for seed yield. However, heavy rainfall in the months of April and May with cloudy weather (sunshine hour < 9.2 hour) are not favourable for its productivity. The actual meteorological data of high yield crop years over the past 15 years were analyzed for different growth stages of sunflower to work out the critical ranges of meteorological parameters. Weather based “Thumb Rule Models” using the weekly and monthly meteorological data for different growth stages were formulated for use in developing the crop weather insurance term sheets and also predicting the potential yield of sunflower crop.

INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF NP FERTILIZERS CAN BOOST THE GROWTH AND YIELD PERFORMANCE OF SUNFLOWER (HELIANTHUS ANNUS L.)

Nitrogen and phosphorus (NP) are two most important essential nutrients promoting plant growth and yield traits of all crops. NP fertilizers are easy to use and quick in releasing nutrients. A field experiment was conducted at Oilseed section, Agriculture Research Institute, Tandojam to determine the effects of different doses of NP fertilizers on the time of maturity, vegetative growth and yield and yield related traits of sunflower variety HO-1. The six NP fertilizer levels viz. T1 = 0-0 (control), T2 = 80-40, T3 = 100-50, T4 = 150-50, T5 = 120-50 and T6 = 120-75 NP kg ha-1 were set in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The results revealed that all the parameters of sunflower were significantly affected (P < 0.05) by different NP fertilizer doses. It was observed that maximum 184.25 (cm) plant height, 6.66 (cm) stem girth, 28.19 (cm) head diameter, 1161.92 seeds head-1, 90.33 (g) seed index and 2172.00 (kg ha-1) seed yield was achieved by applying 150-50 NP fertilizer kg ha-1. It was also noted that 150-50 NP kg ha-1 promoted the sunflower crop to mature early by enhancing vegetate growth. The poor performance for all growth, yield and maturity parameters were observed in the treatment where no NP fertilizer was applied (control). It was concluded that growth and seed yield was increased by increasing the application of NP fertilizers up to 150-50 NP kg ha-1 and thus recommended to get better growth and yield performance of sunflower crop in locality

Monitorizarea sezonieră a dăunătorului Heliothis armigera Hbn. la diferite culturi agricole prin aplicarea capcanelor feromonale

In this article there are presented the results throughout the vegetation period in sunflower and soybean crops with the help of pheromone traps where the development of three generations of H. armi-gera pest was detected. It was demonstrated that in the sunflower crop were attracted on average about 119.0 males/trap while soybean had an average of about 217 males to a pheromone trap.

Mites alight! Sunflower crop area and pollen supplementation enhance honey bee resistance to Varroa destructor

Anthropogenic landscape changes can affect parasite epidemiology in wild and agricultural animals. Honey bees are agricultural animals whose services are threatened by loss of floral resources and by parasites, most notably the invasive mite Varroa destructor. Existing mite control strategies rely heavily on chemical treatments that can adversely affect bees. Alternative, pesticide-free control methods are urgently needed to maintain effective pollination services. Many flowering plants provide nectar and pollen that enhance resistance to parasites in animals. Enrichment of landscapes with antiparasitic floral resources could therefore provide a sustainable means of parasite control in pollinators. Floral rewards of Asteraceae plants have been shown to reduce parasitic infection in diverse bee species, including honey and bumble bees. Here, we tested the effects of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) cropland and pollen supplementation on honey bee resistance to macro- and microparasites. Our results show that each doubling of sunflower crop area is associated with a 28% reduction in mite infestation intensity. Late-summer supplementation of colonies with sunflower pollen reduced mite infestation by 2.75-fold relative to an artificial pollen. Our findings suggest the potential for sunflower plantings or pollen supplements to counteract a main driver of honey bee losses worldwide.

Nutritional and biomass aspects of Helianthus annuus according to boron application in the soil

Sunflower is considered highly demanding in boron (B); however, it has low efficiency in using this micronutrient. An experiment under protected cultivation was carried out to evaluate the effects of boron fertilization on nutrition and sunflower biomass production (Helianthus annuus). A completely randomized design with four replications was used. Five boron doses: 0 (Control), 1, 2, 3, and 4 kg ha-1, were applied to the soil using boric acid as the source. Biometric assessments, measurements of the relative chlorophyll index (RCI), production of dry biomass and the boron use efficiency by plants were carried out. The data were subjected to analysis of variance and F test (p<0.05), with polynomial regression analysis when significant. Leaf area, RCI evaluated at 15 and 60 days, and biomass increase linearly according to the boron application up to the dose of 4 kg ha-1, which corresponds to an increase of 31, 12, 14, and 61%, respectively, compared to control treatment. However, for plant height and nutritional efficiency, the best results were obtained with the dose of 2.64 kg ha-1 of B, with a decrease in higher doses. Boron fertilization in sunflower crop positively influences the nutritional and growth aspects of plants. In general, the application of up to 3 kg ha-1 of B in soils with low natural content increases the crop yield, without phytotoxicity aspects caused by the nutrient

Effect of potassium and boron spraying in yield and quality characteristics for sunflower crop Helianthus annuus L. var luleo

"A field experiment was carried out during the autumn season of 2016 in one of the Agricultural fields in the area of Abu- Guelana ,which is 13 km from the center of Muthanna province , To find out the effect of potassium and boron spraying in the yield and quality characteristics , for sunflower crop - variety Luleo.Used in this study completely randomized block design Arrangement factorial experiment , The study included two factors : The first factors of four concentrations of potassium spray (0, 2500, 5000, 7500) mg K L-1 , and the second factor four concentrations of boron spray (0, 50, 100, 150) mg B L-1 . The mean of the treatments was compared with the least significant difference (L.S.D) at a probability level of 0.05% . Results showed that the potassium spray treatment 7500 mg k L-1 was significantly higher in all studied traits ,(number of seeds/head , weight of thousand seed , fertility percentage ,seed yield , total seed yield and total oil yield) , The results showed that the treatment of boron spray with 100 mg B L-1 concentration was significantly higher in all studied traits. The overlap treatment showed significant superiority in all the traits"

EFFECTIVE METHODS OF CARE FOR SUNFLOWER CROPS

Sunflower cultivation is relevant in the climatic conditions of Western Kazakhstan, characterized by high heat supply and a long growing season. In order to obtain a high yield of sunflower in the system of adaptive technologies, proper pre-sowing preparation of the soil and optimal sowing times are important. Weeds cause great damage to the sunflower crop. Having a powerful underground and aboveground mass, sunflower competes with weeds better than many other field crops. As the accounting data showed, in our studies of 2018-2020, the greatest contamination of sunflower crops was in the variants without the use of herbicides. So, on average for 3 years in the phase 2 of real leaves, when using the harrowing + pre-sowing cultivation (control) technology, there were 10.67 weeds per 1 m2 with a raw mass of 31.22 g/m2. According to research data, on average for 2018-2020, the highest oil harvest is set for the harrowing + pre-sowing cultivation option with roundup (2 l/ha) – 9.57 с/ha. When using 1 and 2 inter-row treatments combined with harrowing and pre-sowing cultivation, the oil harvest increased to 7.16-7.95 с/ha, which is more than the control by 0.92-1.71 с/ha.