What About
Sunflower?
Drew Lyon
Small Grains
Extension, Weed
Science
Benefits of Sunflower in Rotation
 Warm-season
broadleaf crop breaks pest
cycles in small grain rotations
 Use of deep water not used by other crops
 Market cycles differ from grain crops
 Threshold ET < many other warm-season
crops
Threshold ET
12
Threshold ET (in.)
10
8
6
4
2
0
Sunflower
Milo
Soybean
Corn
Relative Yield Response to
Water Stress During Season
Corn
Rip enin g
Milo
Veget at iv e
Rip enin g
Veget at iv e
Yie ld f or m at io n
Yie ld f or m at io n
Flo wer in g
Flo wer in g
Soybean
Sunflower
Rip enin g
Veget at iv e
Veget at iv e
Yie ld f or m at io n
Yie ld f or m at io n
Flo wer in g
Flo wer in g
A Low Water User?
Water use between 8 and 38 inches
 30 inches required for stress-free growth
 Sunflower is not a low water user!!


but it is drought tolerant because of its deep root
system
Available Soil Water at Winter
Wheat Planting
0
2
60-72 in
48-60 in.
36-48 in.
24-36 in
12-24 in.
0-12 in.
3
4
5
6
7
8
W
-F
F
W
-M
-S
un
-
W
-C
-F
F
W
-C
-S
un
-
F
9
W
-S
un
-
Available water (in.)
1
Herbicide Residues to Avoid
Sulfonylureas & imidazolinones
 Ally, Amber, Beyond, Finesse, Glean,
Lightening, Maverick, Olympus, Peak,
Pursuit, etc.
 Triazines
 Aatrex
 Pyridines
 Tordon

Sunflower Diseases to Avoid
Sclerotinia stalk & head rot (white mold)
 dry edible beans, canola
 Verticillium wilt
 potato, safflower
 Phoma
 Premature ripening

Reducing Erosion in
Sunflower Rotations
Plant at lower plant populations and leave stalks
standing
 Plant no-till into durable crop residues
 Use strip cropping
 Do not use summer fallow after sunflower
 Interseed legumes, e.g. sweetclover

Questions?