September 8, 2004
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. |