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Sunflower hybrids: characteristics and description
Breeders are constantly developing new sunflower hybrids in an attempt to achieve high yields. Let’s try to figure out how expedient and safe their use is and whether they are really better than traditional and proven varieties.
Characteristics of sunflower hybrids
Sunflower is a highly profitable crop and allows you to get the maximum profit. But losses caused by unfavorable weather conditions, diseases or pests, inexperience of agricultural producers, significantly reduce the indicators.
In sunflower hybrids, the heads are convex and have the same slope.
The use of hybrids solves a number of problems and has the following advantages:
- Genetic homogeneity. Unlike varietal seeds, the quality of which is associated with pollination, hybrid ones allow you to get the most similar plants. They have the same height, size and incline of the baskets. They ripen at the same time, therefore they do not require additional costs for desiccation and drying, and they minimize losses during harvesting.
- High quality. Their germination rate is close to 100%, the yield is 2 times higher than that of conventional varieties. They have excellent taste, high oiliness.
- Resistance to negative factors and unpretentiousness. Plants are adapted to climatic conditions, withstand drought and temperature fluctuations, resistant to lodging, and immune to disease.
The main disadvantage of hybrid varieties is their high cost. The expected effect is given only by high-quality seeds offered by companies specializing in them. Self-produced second generation properties will differ significantly.
Description of sunflower hybrids
When choosing seeds, pay attention to the characteristics, adaptability to a certain climate, the need to use special agricultural technologies, and resistance to herbicides. Consider the ripening time when using the following hybrids:
- Early. They have time to ripen before pests appear. Cultivation takes less than 100 days, which allows the field to be used for sowing winter crops, but the oil content and yields are not very high. Varieties “Jason” and “Bosphorus” grow up to 2 m and yield only 2 t / ha. The growing season of the Pioneer hybrid reaches 108 days, but if agrotechnology is observed, it can yield yields of up to 4,5 t / ha.
- Mid-season. This is the best option for farms and summer residents. “Tunka”, “Armageddon” are distinguished by large caps, yield up to 4 t / ha and grow well in mid-latitudes.
- Late ripening. Hybrids “Paco”, “Sirio” ripen in 130 days, yield more than 4 t / ha with high oil content.
Large farms are more likely to choose early or mid-season varieties, and gardeners increasingly prefer late hybrids.
Negative reviews of hybrid varieties are often related to seed quality. If the seeds are purchased from a trusted vendor that provides a certificate, the sunflower will yield high yields and will not cause problems with growing.