Land Preparation:
The seedbed should be well prepared to allow good water penetration and seed
emergence. Depending on the growing conditions it may be grown on the flat or
in ridges. Ridges reduce erosion and also water logging. However sunflower
grown on ridges is more likely to fall over (lodge) during heavy rain or strong
winds than sunflower grown on the flat.
Time of Sowing
The ideal time
of sowing should aim to coincide crop maturity with the end of rains. The main
requirement of sunflower is that the crop should mature and ripen in dry weather.
Spacing
The recommended
spacing is 75x 30cm between plants to give a plant population of 44,444
plants/ha. Normally 3 seeds are sown per hole and then thinned to one plant per
hole 2-3 weeks after germination.
Seed rate is 10 kg of good seed per hectare or 4 kg/acre).
Planting depth: Sunflowers
should be planted 5 cm deep.
Fertilizer Application
Sunflower
requires fertile soil to give good yields. Eighty (80 kg) of double super
phosphate before planting (1kg for every 160 paces along the row or 1 small
spoonful for each pace).Top dressing with 100 kg/ha CAN (2 large spoonfuls for
every 5 paces when the plants are about 30 cm high).Too much nitrogen increase
vegetative growth and lodging
Weed Control
Weed control is
very necessary in the first few weeks of the crops growth.
>> 1st
weeding 2-3 weeks during the 2-3 weeks after germination sunflower seedlings
grow slowly and can be overtaken by weeds.
>> 2nd
weeding 4-5 later
To save labour
the first weeding may be combined with thinning and building up the soil around
the base of stems.
Chemical weed
control
The use of
herbicides has many advantages, of which the most important is that effective
weed control can be applied during wet periods when mechanical weed control is
impossible.
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