Oil Content Of Sunflower Seeds Research Articles

Alternative crop production strategies for rice-wheat cropping systems in the Indo-Gangetic plains of India

Field experiments were carried out in the Indo-Gangetic plains of India during 1997–98, 1998–99 and 1999–2000 with the objective to identify alternative crop sequences that are more productive as well as remunerative than the rice–wheat cropping system. The results indicated that the highest mean sunflower seed yield was obtained in the soybean–sunflower rotation followed by the rice–sunflower rotation and the lowest in the maize–mustard–sunflower crop rotation. Similarly, the sesbania–toria–sunflower rotation had the highest biological yield followed by the soybean–sunflower and urd–toria–sunflower rotations. The mean highest harvest index was found in the cowpea–toria–sunflower rotation (35.1%) followed by the urd–toria–sunflower (33.2%) and rice–sunflower (32.7%) rotations. A significantly high oil content in sunflower seeds was observed in both the soybean–sunflower and sesbania–toria–sunflower rotations that was similar to that in the urd–toria–sunflower and cowpea–toria–sunflower rotations. The maize–potato–sunflower, maize–mustard–sunflower, cowpea–toria– sunflower and rice–sunflower rotations had significantly higher sunflower seed yield equivalents (201, 17, 15 and 4% higher, respectively) than the rice–wheat rotation. Similarly, the maize–potato–sunflower rotation produced the highest net income followed by cowpea–toria–sunflower, rice–sunflower and maize–mustard–sunflower, that was 351, 37, 14 and 4%, respectively, higher than the net income of the rice–wheat rotation. The benefit : cost ratio was also observed to be significantly highest in the maize–potato–sunflower rotation (1.60). After 3 years of field experimentation, soil organic carbon, available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were observed to be highest in the urd–toria–sunflower, soybean–sunflower, cowpea–toria–sunflower and soybean–sunflower rotations, respectively. The mean value of total available nutrients was greater in soybean–sunflower than rice–wheat rotation.It can be concluded that the cowpea–toria–sunflower, soybean–sunflower and rice–sunflower crop rotations may be preferred for greater sustainability over the rice–wheat system not only in the Indo-Gangetic plains of India but also in the whole of Asia, and these findings may be a very useful reference for future research on Australian crop diversification.

Effect of planting date on sunflower seed oil content, fatty acid composition and yield in Florida

AbstractPlantings of sunflower,Heliantbus annuus L., were made 5 times between Feb. 2 and Nov. 15 in Florida so that the effect of planting date on the fatty acid composition of sunflower oil might be assessed. Eleven popular hybrids were planted at Gainesville, FL, on Feb. 2 and 28, April 2, and Aug. 14, and 15 hybrids were planted at Lake Worth, FL, on Nov. 15. Sunflower planted on Nov. 15 would be subjected to freezing temperatures if grown in Gainesville. Yields of sunflower achenes for the four planting dates at Gainesville declined with lateness of planting date. Oleic acid content of the oil (17.6–58.4%) was intermediate for the February plantings, highest for the April planting, and lowest for the late plantings. The linoleic acid content (32.5–71.0%) varied inversely with the oleic acid content. Because sunflower oil is needed for different purposes, such as for salad oil, for deep frying and for making margarines, oil low in linoleic acid (high in oleic acid) as well as oil high in linoleic acid (low in oleic acid) are needed. In Florida, adjusting the planting dates should result in the production of oil of the desired fatty acid composition.

A RAPID METHOD FOR ESTIMATING THE OIL CONTENT OF SUNFLOWER SEEDS

A rapid method was developed for estimating the oil content of sunflower seeds. The method consisted of placing a given number of seeds between layers of filter paper, pressing them by means of a laboratory hydraulic press, and measuring the weight of oil absorbed by the filter paper. The effects of pressure-load, time of pressing, types of absorbing paper, size of sample, and dehulling of the seed were studied and a recommended procedure adopted. The oil values obtained by the rapid method were approximately 73 per cent as high as those obtained by the standard Soxhlet procedure. Analyses of 117 sunflower seed samples by the two methods gave a correlation coefficient of + 0.852. The method is particularly suited to assessing of plant breeding selections for oil content because of its speed and its adaptability to small samples.