My sunflower heads have many empty seeds in the centre in Karnataka. How do I grow sunflower well and improve seed set?
How do I grow a good kharif sunflower crop and ensure pollination (sunflower)?
YYallappa Naik6mo ago · 265 views
4 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓6mo ago
Empty seeds in the centre of the sunflower head are usually a pollination problem, because sunflower needs cross pollination and bees do most of that work, so poor bee activity leaves the head partly unfilled. Encourage pollinators by avoiding insecticide sprays during flowering, especially in the morning when bees are active, and where possible keeping bee colonies near the field. Hand pollination by gently rubbing flowering heads in the morning also boosts seed set on small plots. Beyond pollination, ensure boron is adequate since boron deficiency causes poor seed filling, and give moisture at flowering and seed fill. Avoid moisture stress and heat at flowering. Confirm the boron need from your Soil Health Card and get variety and spacing advice from your local KVK.
HHanumanth Reddy6mo ago
Keeping bee boxes near my sunflower and not spraying during flowering filled the heads much better. Earlier the centres were always empty. Bees make the difference.
SSharanappa5mo ago
On my small plot I did hand pollination by rubbing two flowering heads gently against each other in the morning for a few days during flowering. It is a bit of labour but the seed set in the centre improved clearly. Works well when there are not enough bees around.
BBasavaraj Naik5mo ago
Boron was my hidden problem. The soil test showed it was low and after I corrected it the seed filling got better even where pollination was fine. So check both, the pollination and the boron. Avoid moisture stress and high heat right at flowering too. Get the boron dose from your Soil Health Card before applying.