Sunflower in Indian languages

• Sunflower is a newly introduced oilseed crop ,But it was grown in India as ornamental plant since ancient times.
• Sunflower was introduced in India as an oilseed crop for the first time in 1969.
• Sunflower is an important oilseed crop of today .
• It can give large quantity of top quality oil per unit area and per unit time

Local names

Bengali	Surjamukhi
Oriya	Surjamukhi
Hindi	Surjamukhi
Assamese	Beliphool,Surjamukhi phool
Punjabi	Surjamukhi
Gujarat	Surjamukhi
Marathi	Surjaphul
Tamil	Suriyakanthi
Telugu	Proddutirugudu puvvu.

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Origin & Spread

• The cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) is a common sunflower and native of southern United states , from where it was taken to Spain before the middle of the sixteenth century.
• In nineteenth century the cultivation of sunflower as an oilseed crop began in the former Soviet Union and the majority of the present day varieties grown all over the world trace back their origin to the USSR, In Hindi the sunflower is called Surajmukhi.
• The sunflower owes its economic value to its utility as an oilseed or fodder crop.
• As a fodder or forage crop,sunflower is fed green or converted into silage which is popular in USA,Canada and in some other coutnries.
• The sunflower crop was introduced into India in 1965 and according to some estimates of the trade and the Vanaspati Manufacturer's Association ,the sunflower was grown in India during 1975-76 as a commercial crop under 3,88,000 hectares of land.
• The sunflower is gaining ground as a newer oilseed towards self sufficiency in vegetable oils(Vanaspati Ghee)

Sunflower Distribution

• The cultivated sunflower is evolved in North America, but now it is cultivated in warm temperate, subtropical and tropical climates throughout the world

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Area And Production

• The Varieties available are cultivated during both Kharif and Rabi seasons.
• Hybrids also occupy good amount of area in these districts., E.C. 68414, Morden, APSH-11, KBSH-1 and other Varieties and hybrids are popular.
• It is a relatively new crop to India and cultivated area in the country 0.82 M.ha (2021-13).
• Andhra Pradesh contributes0.140 M..ha occupying 2nd place.

Sunflower Area Production and Productivity (Area in Million hectares, Poroduction in Million tonnes and Productivity in Kgs/ha)

Sl.No	State	Rabi 2012-13			Rabi 2011-12
		Area	Production	Yield	Area	Production	Yield
1	Karnataka	0.520	0.300	577	0.38	0.20	526
2	Andhra Pradesh (Composite)	0.140	0.100	714	0.16	0.12	750
3	Haryana	0.020	0.030	1500	0.01	0.02	2000
4	Bihar	0.020	0.030	1500	0.02	0.02	1000
5	Maharashtra	0.050	0.020	400	0.10	0.06	600
6	Tamil Nadu	0.010	0.020	2000	0.01	0.02	2000
7	Uttar Pradesh	0.010	0.010	1000	0.00	0.01	2500
8	Others	0.050	0.070	@	0.05	0.07	@
9	All India	0.820	0.580	707	0.73	0.52	712

Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Department of Agriculture and Cooperation.

• As sunflower crop is a highly cross-pollinated one, it requires different pollination agents and management practices like rubbing of flowers for increased percentage of filled-in grains.
• Composite Andhra Pradesh stands second in the Country in production next to Karnataka.
• In respect of the sunflower yields, the country records an average of 712 Kgs/ha while,
  

Districtwise Area, Production & Productivity of Sunflower in Andhra Pradesh 2012-13

District	Area in Hectares	Production in MT	Yield in kg/ha
1	2	3	4
Srikakulam	1828	1770/p>	968
Visakhapatnam	527	510	968
East Godavari	348	337	968
West Godavari	575	557/p>	968
Krishna	18	17	968
Guntur	299	289	968
Prakasham	16015	15954	996
Nellore	2672	1759	658
Chittoor	894	476	532
Cuddapah	49637	19594	395
Ananthapur	10580	7101	671
Kurnool	30576	23331	763

Source: Season and Crop Report, Ap Govt (Erstwhile)

Area, Productivity and Production of Sunflower in Andhra Pradesh

Year	Area in lakh hectares	Productivity in Kgs/hect	Production in lakh tonnes
2008-2009	1.59	511	0.81
2009-2010	1.48	432	0.64
2010-2011	1.88	645	1.21
2011-2012	2.53	207	0.52
2012-2013	2.08	505	1.05
Average of preceding 5 years	1.90	490	0.89

Source: Season and Crop Report, Ap Govt (Erstwhile)

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Uses

• The percent of oil in sunflower is higher (45-50%) over other oil seed crop.
• Sunflower oil is rich in poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and has a pleasant flavour, an excellent keeping quality, when refined.
• The oil is used in making margarine and is regarded as good cooking oil.
• It, being rich in linoleic acid (62.5%), is recommended as a dietary constituent to the heart patients.
• The Sunflower cake makes a high quality cattle and poultry feed because of higher protein (40-44%) and balanced amino acids.
• Sunflowers harvested at dough stage (green sunflower) makes an excellent quality forage, specially for milch cattle.

The stem

• The sunflower stem has rather long bast fibres, and the plant has often been suggested as a source of fibre supply.
• The fibre is too weak and brittle to be of value for cordage and textile purposes.
• Paper has been made from the stalks; but in treeless regions, where it is abundantly grown, the highest value is doubtless, obtained for its use as fuel.

The seed

• Fried sunflower seeds with pepper are a delicacy in the East European countries. The flour is highly nutritive and used in bakery.
• The hulls are used as fillers in cattle feed and also as fuel.
• The seeds are used in medicine as diuretic and in treating certain disorders of the respiratory tract.

Oil

• The oil must be extracted within 90 days of harvesting otherwise it becomes bitter in taste especially when stored under damp conditions. Such seeds also lose their viability.
• Used for culinary and industrial purposes.
• The oil content in the seed is about 40 to 45 per cent.
• The oil is a good substitute for olive oil.
• In industry, the oil is used in the manufacture of margarine, and in other edible products.
• Being a semi drying oil, it is used in the paint and varnish industry.
• In woollen fabric making, it is used for treating shoddy.
• Sulphonated sunflower oil is used in high coefficient liquid disinfectants.
• It is extensively used in the soap and cosmetic industry.

Suitable of sunflower in Indian cropping system

• Sunflower is a drought tolerant crop due to its deep tap root therefore it is the best substitute to all rainfed commercial crops. This can be grown in rabi and summer as I.D crop with higher yield.
• It is the best substitute for delayed kharif sowing due to delayed onset of monsoon which is very common phenomenon.
• Because of its short duration nature it can be incorporated in any type of cropping system.
• Seed cost is very low when compared with groundnut (Roughly cost of groundnut seed/ha is Rs. 2,2250/-) an important oil seed of A.P.
• Sunflower can be profitably cultivated with less expenditure, limited water, easy cultivation methods, hence small and marginal farmers can take up this crop easily and profitably.
• Sunflower can be comes to harvest 10-15 days earlier to groundnut. Water requirement, seed requirement (interms of cost also) and cost of cultivation is much less in sunflower over groundnut.
• Sunflower is a photo-intensive crop, hence, can be grown throughout the year if water is available. But the duration will be extended in winter season or in cold climates.
• As in other crops no flower drop is seen in sunflower. This may be one of the reasons for more ill filled grains in this crop.
• Suitable varieties and hybrids are available suit our climatic conditions.
• Sunflower is an errect growing plant and hence, no shade effect on the component crop if it is grown as an inter crop.

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Nutritional Aspects Of Sunflower Products

• The seeds contain 20-40 per cent of an edible cooking oil. The defatted sunflower press-cake, produced from decorticated seeds, or the solvent extracted meal, contain 40-80 per cent protein of good digestibility.
• The sunflower protein is rich in methionine and tryptophan, and the limiting amino acid is lysine.
• There is no evidence of toxicity in sunflower meal, but the seeds contain a phenolic compound, chlorogenic acid, which causes the defatted flour to darken when it is cooked under neutral or alkaline conditions.
• This is a major limitation to its acceptability in food products.
• The refined sunflower oil is richer in mineral contents than groundnut. It contains Vitamins A, D, E and C.
• The sunflower oil is used for culinary purposes, in the preparation of vanaspati and in the manufacture of soaps and cosmetics.
• Its cake is rich in protein and is used as cattle and poultry feed enriched with 40% protein containing amino-acids and calcium.
• Sunflower Oil is also of good quality, even without further refining, and does not contain any linolenic acid, or develop undesirable flavours on heating.
• Its content of linoleic acid is high and of saturated fatty acids is low, making it preferred oil in medical control diets, for the reduction on hig-serum cholesterol levels.
• The content of unsaturated fatty acids in sunflower oil varies according to the ecological conditions of growth, from 89 to 91 percent, but much lower contents have been found in sunflower oils produced in very hot climates.

Domestic Utilization of Sunflower Seeds

• At the subsistence level, the sunflower heads are harvested by hand, sun-dried and mature seeds are rubbed out of the flower centres.
• The seed kernels are eaten raw, roasted or salted as snacks, like groundnuts.
• The roasted kernels may be used in a variety of sweatmeats or added for enrichment to soups and sauces.

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