Oil from the Sunflower Plants

Abstract

There are probably few countries of the temperate regions which have a superabundance of fats and oils. War-time conditions, moreover, always accentuate any deficiency, and turn attention upon the possibilities of home production. A recent paper by E. F. Hurt (J. Roy. Hort. Soc., 68, Part 11; Nov. 1943) gives the results of experience with the sunflower crop. Oil from the seeds of this crop is useful for edible and culinary purposes, for making margarine, as food for cattle and poultry, for canning fish and making fine soap. Its gastronomic value is equal to the finest olive oil. The crop is widely tolerant of soil types, but removes large quantities of soil nutrients, most of which are retained in the stalk, and can be returned to the ground after harvest. Sowing the seed at an even depth of l½–2 in. appears to be important, and 7½ lb. of seed is needed to sow an acre by drill. Sunflower is a good cleaning crop, and appears to be but little affected by disease, though it is susceptible to wireworm attack and the depredations of birds at harvest time. Three semi-dwarf varieties—'Mars', 'Pole Star* and 'Southern Cross'—are suggested for Great Britain, and as the supply of fats and oils may be one of the most acute of post-war agricultural problems, the crop appears worthy of more extended trial.