Mumbai: Sunflower plays a vital role in India’s agriculture sector, producing edible oil. The demand for sunflower oil has been increasing due to its medicinal benefits. Therefore, farmers need better, disease-resistant, and high-yielding varieties to increase productivity and their incomes as well. The new sunflower hybrids unveiled a couple of years ago, named TilhanTech-SUNH-1 and TilhanTech-SUNH-2, brought a ray of hope to farmers.
SUNH-1 and SUNH-2 were introduced in 2021 and 2023, respectively. The quality of these two hybrids is that they mature quickly. The former takes just 90-100 days, and later matures even faster, maturing in 84-87 days, providing a chance for farmers to plan for their next crops efficiently.
The production of these two hybrids is much more than the traditional varieties. SUNH-1 produces 2000 kg per hectare under rainfed conditions, while the yield in SUNH-2 is 1600 kg per hectare. Apart from these, both breeds give more oil than the local breeds. Therefore, their market value is high.
The cultivation of sunflowers takes place in several states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and Jammu & Kashmir. These hybrids also resist downy mildew and leafhoppers, reducing the need for pesticides and lowering farming costs.
With the cultivation of these two hybrids, farmers can earn an extra up to Rs 6400 to Rs 9200 per hectare, making them financially sound. These hybrids are gaining popularity due to high oil content and disease resistance.
The farming community has a golden opportunity to cultivate these two varieties of sunflower and enhance their income and contribute to the country’s edible oil production.
