Effects of technical management on the fatty-acid composition of high-oleic and high-linoleic sunflower cultivars

Abstract

We investigated the effects of several crop management parameters on the fatty-acid composition of very high-oleic (VHO) and a very high-linoleic (VHL) sunflower cultivar. Experiments were performed on these varieties grown on field plots in 2009 and 2010. Yield and fatty-acid composition were determined and the effect of irrigation was investigated at the flowering stage in VHL cultivars. We also evaluated the effects of three sowing dates studied on Antonil, a VHL cultivar. Yield and fatty-acid content were similar in 2009 and 2010. The best results were obtained for PR65H22 (a hybrid cultivar), for which a mean oleic acid content of 93% was obtained in 2009. For the VHL variety, yields were higher for plots irrigated at flowering. Late sowing was associated with higher linoleic acid content, and irrigation at flowering resulted in higher yields and linoleic contents. These results highlight the effects of different types of technical management on the yield and quality of this crop.

Keywords

• Crop management
• fatty-acid composition
• sowing date
• sunflower
• irrigation