Expert Advisory Details

Experts' advice for sunflower crop

The month of January is the optimum time for sowing sunflower. The sowing should preferably be done on ridges facing Southern side. The spacing between rows should be 60 cm and between the plants 30 cm. Apply 24 kg N (50 kg urea) per acre alongwith 12 kg P2 O5 (75 kg single superphosphate) at sowing. Prefer single superphosphate as it contains sulphur. In coarse textured soils, use half dose of urea (25 kg) at sowing and other half 30 days after sowing. Drill muriate of potash in soils testing low in available potassium i.e. 40 kg/acre in Hoshiarpur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Ropar and Gurdaspur districts and 20 kg/acre in all other districts. If the crop follows potato which received farm yard manure (FYM) @ 20 tonnes per acre, apply 25 kg urea. To sunflower following toria, apply 10 tonnes FYM alogwith recommended dose of fertilizers. Stomp 30 EC @ 1.0 litre per acre dissolved in 200 litres of water can be used as pre-emergence within 2-3 days for controlling weeds in this crop. When the sowing is likely to be delayed to February, the crop should be raised by transplanting nursery.