With sunflower harvest just beginning, producers in the Texas Panhandle are looking forward to high yields, according to Texas Cooperative Extension. The Panhandle has received more than twice the normal amount of rainfall for the year, and, due to attractive selling contracts within the county, more sunflowers were planted.

"We've had above-average production this year, mainly due to good growing conditions," said J.D. Ragland, Extension agent in Floyd County. "We've already gotten 24 inches (of rain) this year, and normally we would have 10.5. I'd say we have nearly 3,000 acres of sunflowers this year, and there were 1,576 acres last year."

While it is still too early in the harvest to know what the crop will yield, last year the county produced 843 pounds of sunflower seeds per acre at 13 cents per pound, Ragland said.

But in spite of the extra moisture this year, fields were still irrigated, he added.

Dr. Travis Miller, Texas A&M University associate department head for soil and crop sciences, said this practice is normal for confectionary seed production in Texas.

"Sunflowers are drought tolerant and make excellent use of stored soil moisture, but they respond well to irrigation in the dry climate of the Texas Panhandle," he said. "It improves yield and seed size, which is very important in the confectionary market."

Miller said sunflowers are used three ways in Texas:

• Confectionary sunflower seeds are typically salted and roasted, and used in salads and other dishes.
• Oilseed sunflowers are processed for cooking oil. The remaining meal is used for livestock feed.
• Some sunflower seeds are used in wild bird feed. According to Ragland, sunflowers help rebuild the soil.

"They're good for providing organic material. Sunflowers are a lot like corn, they have a big bulky stem that gets plowed into the soil and add minerals for rejuvenation and help hold moisture in," he said.

Sunflowers are subject to many diseases and pests, Miller said. Dr. Carl Patrick, Extension entomologist said, "The sunflower moth is the single most important insect pest reducing sunflower production in Texas."

Nearly 80 percent of the eggs are laid within seven days after buds begin to open. Eggs hatch within 72 hours. Newly hatched larvae are yellow and four green stripes develop on their back as they mature. A single larva can destroy up to 12 seeds during the 15- to 19-day development period. Full-grown larvae are ¾-inch long.

"The adult is a small, slender, gray moth about 1-1/2- inches long. It's usually seen resting on sunflower heads during the blooming period, especially in early morning and early evening," Patrick said.

Crop rotation, modified planting dates, weed control, wild sunflower control and tillage help reduce insect problems. However, Patrick said, insecticides are often required in Texas.

He recommends applying insecticide when 20 percent to 25 percent of the crop has bloomed or when any moths are found in the field. One to two additional insecticide applications may be needed when sunflower moth populations are heavy.