Correlations and Path Analysis in Sunflower Grown at Lower Elevations

Diego Nicolau Follmann,João Vitor Ferreira Scopel,Alberto Cargnelutti Filho,Maurício Siqueira Dos Santos,Cleiton Antônio Wartha,Éder Neimar Plautz,Maicon Nardino,Vívian Oliveira Costa,Darlei München Bamberg,Gustavo Henrique Engel,Tiago Olivoto

doi:10.5539/jas.v11n2p445

Diego Nicolau Follmann, João Vitor Ferreira Scopel + Show 9 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5539/jas.v11n2p445

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Abstract

Sunflower cultivation has great importance in Brazil, mainly for production of oil and animal feed. Studies on sunflower cultivar selection are important for crop expansion, contributing to better cultivar adaptation to different environments. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the linear relations among sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) morphological traits in a subtropical region with lower elevations and to identify traits that may assist in cultivar selection based on agronomic performance and path analysis. The experiment was performed during the 2017/2018 agricultural year in Santa Maria (latitude 29&ordm;71&prime; S, longitude 53&ordm;70&prime; W and 90 m altitude), southern Brazil. The experimental design was a randomized block with four replicates and eight cultivars: Syn 045, BRS 323, BRS G58, BRS G59, BRS G60, BRS G61, Multissol 02 and Catissol 03. Assessed traits were plant height, stem diameter, head diameter, thousand achenes weight, yield of achenes per head and number of achenes per head. Hereafter, associations between morphological traits and achene yield were verified by means of linear relations and path analysis. Thousand achenes weight and number of achenes per head exhibited linear relations and direct effects on achene yield in subtropical region at lower elevations. Head diameter does not present direct effect on achenes yield but it has direct effect on the number of achenes per head, indicating cause-effect relation and becoming an important alternative for indirect selection of sunflower cultivars.

Highlights

In Brazil, sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is grown for the production of oil and animal feed
A study conducted in Turkey by Turhan et al (2010) emphasizes the importance of the sunflower growing site as a determining factor to meet the expectations of oil quality, being the growing site altitude and air temperature the main factors interfering in the fatty acids composition of achenes
The objective of this study was to evaluate the linear relations among sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) morphological traits in a subtropical region with lower elevations and to identify traits that may assist in cultivar selection based on agronomic performance and path analysis

Summary

Introduction

In Brazil, sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is grown for the production of oil and animal feed. Modern sunflower cultivars are considered photoperiod-insensitive, enabling cultivars recommended for cultivation in the central-west region to be grown in southern Brazil. In this sense, the main variables interfering in sunflower cultivar development and the quality of the produced oil are the air temperature and the intercepted solar radiation (Echarte et al, 2010). A study conducted in Turkey by Turhan et al (2010) emphasizes the importance of the sunflower growing site as a determining factor to meet the expectations of oil quality, being the growing site altitude and air temperature the main factors interfering in the fatty acids composition of achenes. Locations with higher elevation presented lower minimum night temperature associated with yield and quality of fatty acids (Grunvald et al, 2013), mainly at the initial stage of grain filling (Izquierdo et al, 2002)

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