Introduction to major field crops (1+1)

Introduction

Sunflower popularly known as ‘Surajmukhi’ is a familiar plant in India. It is grown in India as an ornamental plant since ancient times. But as an oilseed crop, it was introduced in 1969 only. Commercial cultivation of this crop in India was started in 1972. Today, sunflower is considered as a potential oilseed crop in India.It stands third among annual oil seeds grown in the world. No other crop in our country has gained as much popularity as sunflower because of its wide adaptability, short duration, photo insensitivity, drought tolerant, high yield potential, besides high quality oil.




Fig: Sunflower.