Sunflower crop management

Sunflower cultivation in Brazil has never been treated as a crop

large-scale business, due to the lack of interest in purchasing the

product, and mainly the lack of dissemination of technologies to the man of

field for this culture to develop.

analyzing

the national and global scenario, culture is being the most considered for

the production of oil for the production of Biodiesel, with the Government

Federal as the biggest incentive, due to B2 regulation

(2% blend of biodiesel with regular diesel) for 2008, and B5 in 2013

generating a potential demand of 2,5 billion liters of biodiesel.

analyzing

the world stage, dictates the Kyoto Protocol that countries will have to

reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere that cause the greenhouse effect,

causing global warming, bringing enormous damage to nature and

human health itself; And one of the ways to reduce the emission of

carbon would be the production of biofuels (ethanol – sugar cane,

biodiesel – sunflower, castor, jatropha...).

It is up to

technicians, engineers, producers to learn how to manage the culture of

sunflower, as it will be the main large-scale crop for promoting

of bBiodiesel production in Brazil.

1-

Choice of seeds: Non-striated (oleic for production of

biodiesel) and ribbed (non-oleic for bird feed).

2-

Choice of area for planting: Flat topography, absence of AL

exchangeable, PH around 5.5, high fertility, structured soils

without compacted layers, and with good drainage.

3- Seasons of

planting: safrinha or rotational crop, in central Brazil January,

February, March and in the southern region of the country, plant before harvesting

principal.

4- Desiccation of the area: glyphosate in a dosage varying according to the stages of the herbs present.

5-

Basic Macronutrient Fertilization: 15kg N: 40-80Kg P2O5: 40-80Kg K2O

(doses kg/ha) and Top dressing: 45kg of N up to 30 days after

planting (doses kg/ha).

6- Application of Boron: 2Kg/ha of the element

via soil and not foliar, due to its low mobility via phloem

(leaf absorption) and high mobility via xylem (root absorption). AND

It is recommended to apply boric acid together with glyphosate during desiccation.

7- Recommended population: 40.000 to 45.000 plants/ha.

8-

Spacing used: varies from 45 cm to 90 cm, with

spacings of 50 cm and 70 cm provide the best results in productivity.

9- Planting speed: 2,5 to 3km/hour to ensure uniformity of sowing.

10- Sowing depth: 3 cm.

11-

Seed treatment: Insecticides used in corn, but there are no

also products registered for sunflower cultivation.

12-

Post-emergent herbicides: they are the same for controlling grasses

used in soybeans, also without registration, and for the control of broad leaves

There are still no selective products for sunflower.

13- Foliar insecticides: these are the same ones used on soybeans and corn, such as: pyrethroids and organophosphates, without registration.

14- Harvesting speed: 7km/hour.

15-

Harvest point: 13-14% moisture, avoid harvesting in humidity

top so as not to break the seed and not harvest with low humidity to

avoid losses due to bird attacks.

16- Average production cost updated in 2007: R$500,00 to R$600,00/ha.

17- Marketing: Various buyers: Brasil Ecodiesel, Bünge, Caramuru,..

To

the control of broad leaves, Nidera Sementes has the mutagenic sunflower

Clearfield, resistant to herbicides from the imidazolinones chemical group.

One of the benefits of the culture would be the recycling of nutrients by the

sunflower, as it has a deep axial root system, where large

part of the phosphorus and potassium becomes available to the successor crop.

In corn it obtains an additional 15 to 20% of productivity and in soybeans an

additional 10%.

Another benefit would be saving the dose of glyphosate used in

desiccation for planting the successor crop to sunflower, due to the

excellent shading of herbs between the sunflower rows.

Nidera Sementes - Product development State of SP

Contacts: (19) 8178-0542 / Breno.reis@niderasementes.com.br