Author(s): G. N. BANUVALLI, T.K. NAGARATHNA, H.G. PRAVEEN AND M. GAYITHRI

Abstract: Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is one of the widely cultivated oilseed crops and mainly grown for its seed yield and oil content. The sunflower oil contains saturated and unsaturated fatty acids with different biochemical composition which determines the quality of the oil. Oil content, fatty acids and biochemical composition differ in their accumulation pattern in different hybrids. To study their accumulation pattern, research was conducted with six contrasting sunflower hybrids differing in oleic acid content (high, mid and low) by recording observations at seed developmental stages from anthesis to maturity on several growth parameters, physiological and yield parameters. Though leaf area index decreased at maturity in all hybrids, higher values were observed in mid oleic types. Higher photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate was observed at anthesis and decreased during seed development for all hybrid and hybrids differed from each other for seed yield and oil yield with respect to different gas exchange parameters studied. In yield and its attributing characters mid oleic had higher yield as compared to low and high oleic hybrids through lower rates of transpiration and higher photosynthetic rate, increased water use efficiency, balanced stomatal conductance during seed developmental stages, maintenance of higher leaf area index till maturity leading to higher accumulation of biomass. Lower yield in high oleic types among contrasting hybrids were found due to their less attribution of the yield attributing characters.

DOI: 10.22271/09746315.2021.v17.i2.1460

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