The Impact of Crop Year and Crop Density on the Production of Sunflower in Site-Specific Precision Farming in Hungary

Abstract

Sunflower is considered a plant with extraordinary adaptability. However, the conditions of growing sunflower function as a limiting factor in its production. The hybrids used in production tolerate weather variability to a different level and utilise the nutrient and water resources of the soil, while the yield is also affected by the number of plants per hectare. In this study, the authors attempted to observe the environmental effects influencing sunflower cultivation, the heterogeneous productivity zones of the given production site and the correlation of the number of seeding plants used under various farm practices. The average rainfall of 2021 and the dry weather of 2022 created suitable conditions for examining the yearly weather effect. In the selected experimental areas, three distinguishable zones were defined in terms of productivity. In each productivity zone, three crop density steps were used in four replicates. Based on the performed comparative tests, the rainy year of 2021 resulted higher yield than the drier year of 2022 in the average- and high productivity zones, while in the low-productivity zone, higher yields were harvested under the drier conditions of 2022 than in the rainy year of 2021. In 2021, with the improvement in productivity, the obtained yield was also higher. However, in 2022, this clarity could not be demonstrated. In the zones with low productivity, identical yield results were observed in both weather conditions. Based on the examination of the obtained results, it was shown that the effect of weather conditions and the given number of plants have a smaller influence on the yield results of low-productivity zones, while these factors have a greater influence on the yields of high-productivity zones.