Sunflower growers have one more reason to be excited about growing NuSun™ sunflower hybrids from Mycogen Seeds, a retail seed company of Dow AgroSciences. Diets with NuSun sunflower oil have been demonstrated to lower cholesterol, according to a recent Penn State University health study published in the July 2005 Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

“We have known about and believed in the benefits of NuSun oil for some time,” says Larry Kleingartner, President, National Sunflower Association. “We are pleased that this research has now been published. This finding establishes that NuSun is a healthy, viable alternative to other types of oils.”

Two tablespoons of NuSun oil in place of saturated or trans fat will reduce total cholesterol by 5 percent, and harmful LDL cholesterol by nearly 6 percent.1 This finding is especially timely, because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will require labeling of the trans fat content on all processed food items in January 2006.

Sunflower growers can now grow any of 10 NuSun hybrids available from Mycogen Seeds. These NuSun™ hybrids are healthier for consumers and help lower cholesterol.

“At Mycogen Seeds, we are pleased to offer several NuSun sunflower hybrids ranging in a variety of maturity and oil content for the 2006 growing season,” says Keith Porter, Oil Crops Marketing Specialist, Mycogen Seeds.

New NuSun Sunflower Hybrids

The Mycogen Seeds sunflower lineup has five new NuSun hybrids for growers that are available for the 2006 growing season.

8N270 is the NuSun version of the industry-leading hybrid SF270. It will have very similar appearance, yield, plant health and oil content to SF270. This product will work very well for the NuSun oil and bird food markets, and preliminary testing suggests that it may be suitable for the hulling market.

An early season NuSun™ hybrid, 8N272 has an average oil content that will work well for the NuSun oil and bird food markets. Preliminary tests suggest 8N272 has acceptable hulling characteristics.

A medium to medium-full season hybrid, 8N386CL is a second generation CLEARFIELD® hybrid. 8N386CL will have much improved oil and better drydown when compared to our first generation CLEARFIELD hybrid. This NuSun CLEARFIELD hybrid will have good overall plant health with very good stalk and root characteristics. This product will work well for the NuSun oil and bird food markets.

8N453DM is a longer, full season NuSun hybrid that is resistant to all current known races of downy mildew in the United States. It has good yield potential and will serve the NuSun™ oil market and bird food markets in good fashion in central and southern plains markets.

8N337DM is the downy mildew-resistant version of 8N327. 8N337DM is a NuSun hybrid that provides high oil content along with high oleic levels. 8N337DM is a medium-height, mid-maturity hybrid that moves well north and south, offering a wide window of opportunity for planting. 8N337DM combines high yield with great oil content to maximize income per acre.

“These five NuSun hybrids allow growers the opportunity to plant new hybrids and reap the added benefits of growing crops that produce healthy oils for human consumption,” concludes Porter.

Growers who plant Mycogen Seeds sunflower products and use Dow AgroSciences crop protection products can also qualify for the Over-The-Top Plus program. For more information about this program or these Mycogen Seeds products, growers may contact their local Mycogen Seeds dealer or sales representative.

Mycogen Seeds is a retail seed company of Dow AgroSciences LLC and a leading producer of grain corn hybrids, the leader in Silage-Specific™ corn hybrids, the largest sunflower hybrid producer, and a producer of canola, alfalfa, soybeans and sorghum.

(1) National Sunflower Association. It’s Official: NuSun Oil Lowers Cholesterol. Sunflower Magazine. September 2005. Available at: https://www.sunflowernsa.com/magazine/details.asp?ID=392. Accessed October 18, 2005.

®™Mycogen, the Mycogen M Logo and Silage-Specific are trademarks of Mycogen Corporation.
®CLEARFIELD is a trademark of BASF Corporation.
™NuSun is a trademark of the National Sunflower Association.
©2005 Mycogen Seeds. Mycogen Seeds is an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences LLC.