Sunflower
Helianthus annuus
One of the few oilseeds indifferent to day length, so it fits kharif, rabi and spring alike. Yield is made by seed set, not by the flower — which means pollination, kept up by bees or your own hand, decides the crop more than any input.
- Crop type
- Oilseed
- Season
- Kharif, rabi & spring
- Suitable states
- 10+ major states
- Growing duration
- 90–110 days
- Water requirement
- Moderate (5–6 irrigations)
- Temperature
- 20–28°C
- Soil type
- Well-drained loam
- Difficulty level
- Moderate
- Expected yield
- 15–20 q/ha (irrigated hybrid)
- MSP (KMS 2026–27)
- ₹8,343 / quintal
Overview
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is a short-duration, photo-insensitive oilseed, which is its great strength — the same crop can be grown in the kharif, rabi or spring season, wherever a 90–110 day window and mild weather line up.
It is grown for edible oil, and modern hybrids on good management and full irrigation can yield 15–20 quintals of seed per hectare. The oil content, and therefore the price, rewards a crop that filled its seed properly rather than one that merely flowered well.
The one thing new growers underestimate is pollination. Sunflower is largely cross-pollinated and needs insects — mainly honeybees — to set seed. A field far from bee activity, or sprayed with insecticide during flowering, fills empty in the centre no matter how healthy the plants look.
Crop timeline, sowing to harvest
A quick visual map of the season — jump to any section below for the detail behind each stage.
- Day 0
Sowing
Seed dibbled 4–5 cm deep at 60×30 cm with basal NPK and boron into a fine, moist bed.
- Day 8–12
Emergence
Seedlings emerge; thin to one strong plant per hill and protect from the red-headed hairy caterpillar and birds.
- Day 30–35
Bud initiation
The star-shaped bud appears — head size is set now, so the nitrogen top-dress and an irrigation land here.
- Day 50–60
Flowering
Ray florets open and the disc flowers pollinate over 5–8 days — the make-or-break window for seed set.
- Day 65–75
Seed filling
Fertilised florets fill with seed; steady moisture now decides how many seeds fill versus stay hollow.
- Day 80–90
Maturity
The back of the head turns from green to lemon-yellow; seeds harden and the head begins to droop.
- Day 90–110
Harvest
Back of head fully yellow-brown and the outer bracts brown — cut, dry and thresh before birds take the crop.
Suitable states
States where this crop is grown at scale, highlighted below. Your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra is still the final word for your specific block.
- Jammu and Kashmir
- Himachal Pradesh
- Punjab
- Uttarakhand
- Haryana
- Delhi
- Uttar Pradesh
- Rajasthan
- Bihar
- Jharkhand
- West Bengal
- Sikkim
- Assam
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Meghalaya
- Nagaland
- Manipur
- Mizoram
- Tripura
- Gujarat
- Madhya Pradesh
- Chhattisgarh
- Maharashtra
- Odisha
- Goa
- Telangana
- Andhra Pradesh
- Karnataka
- Kerala
- Tamil Nadu
- Puducherry
- Ladakh
- Chandigarh
Grown here
Climate requirements
Being day-length neutral is what makes sunflower so flexible, but it also means the crop cannot wait out bad weather: heat or drought at flowering, or rain and humidity at head maturity, directly cut both yield and oil content.
Ideal temperature
20–28°C ideal; the crop tolerates a fairly wide range but sets seed poorly above 35°C at flowering
Rainfall
500–750 mm; sensitive to moisture stress at flowering and to rain during head maturity
Humidity
Moderate; high humidity at maturity encourages head rot
Sunlight
Full sun and photo-insensitive — flowers regardless of day length, which is why it fits all seasons
Soil requirements
Avoid saline, alkaline and waterlogged soils. Sunflower’s deep taproot lets it mine moisture from a well-structured soil, but a compacted or ponding field restricts that root and starves the crop at flowering.
Suitable soil
Well-drained loam and clay-loam with good depth; performs well on black soils that drain
pH range
6.5–8.0
Drainage
Free-draining; sunflower is deep-rooted but will not tolerate waterlogging
Organic matter
Responds well to FYM and to a boron-adequate soil
Land preparation
Same four steps whichever region you are in — only the timing shifts with the sowing window.
- 1
Two ploughings and planking
Two ploughings followed by harrowing and planking give the fine, firm bed sunflower seed needs for even emergence.
- 2
Incorporate FYM and boron
Mix 8–10 t/ha of FYM and, on boron-poor soils, borax at 10 kg/ha into the soil — boron deficiency is a classic cause of empty heads.
- 3
Basal fertiliser and ridging
Apply the basal phosphorus, potash and half the nitrogen, and form the layout (ridges or flat beds) suited to your irrigation method.
Seed information
How the main varieties compare, so you can pick by duration, yield, disease pressure or what you are growing for.
| Variety | Duration | Yield | Disease resistance | Best state | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
KBSH-44 Widely grown, high-yielding hybrid with good oil content. | 90–95 days | High | Moderately tolerant to necrosis | Karnataka | Kharif & rabi, irrigated |
KBSH-53 Improved hybrid with better necrosis tolerance and stable yield. | 90–95 days | High | Improved necrosis tolerance | Karnataka | Multi-season |
DRSH-1 ICAR-IIOR hybrid with high oil content, suited to peninsular India. | 90–100 days | High | Moderate | Telangana | Rabi, high oil |
Morden Old open-pollinated variety — early and widely adapted, useful where hybrid seed is hard to get. | 80–90 days | Medium | Susceptible to leaf spot | Maharashtra | Spring, short-duration |
LSFH-171 Popular hybrid in the north-west with bold seed and good adaptability. | 95–100 days | High | Moderate | Punjab | Spring, irrigated |
- Seed rate
- 5–6 kg/ha for hybrids; 8–10 kg/ha for open-pollinated varieties
- Certified seed
- Buy fresh certified hybrid seed each season — hybrid seed saved from your own crop segregates and loses both yield and oil. Genuine seed is the biggest single input for a good sunflower crop.
- Spacing
- 60 cm between rows × 30 cm within the row
- Seed treatment
- Treat seed with Thiram or Carbendazim (2–3 g/kg) against seed-borne fungi, and, in downy-mildew-prone areas, with Metalaxyl (6 g/kg).
Sowing guide
Sow into good moisture and thin ruthlessly to one plant per hill by 15–20 days; a crowded crop makes small heads. Avoid sowing so the flowering coincides with peak monsoon rain or extreme heat, either of which ruins seed set.
- Best time
- Kharif: June–July. Rabi: October–November. Spring: January–February.
- Row spacing
- 60 cm
- Plant spacing
- 30 cm within the row
- Sowing depth
- 4–5 cm
- Method
- Dibble 2 seeds per hill and thin to one, or drill and thin — even spacing gives uniform head size
Fertilizer schedule
A split dose beats one large dose applied at sowing — nitrogen especially is lost to the air and to leaching if it all goes in on day one.
- 1
Basal (at sowing)
Day 0
Half the nitrogen with the full phosphorus and potash — for an irrigated hybrid this is around 30 N : 90 P₂O₅ : 60 K₂O kg/ha basally.
- 2
Boron
Basal / early spray
Borax at 10 kg/ha in the soil, or a foliar spray at bud stage, prevents the empty-centre heads that boron deficiency causes.
- 3
Nitrogen top-dressing
Bud initiation (30–35 days)
The remaining nitrogen at bud initiation, followed by an irrigation, drives head and seed development.
- 4
Sulphur
Basal
20–40 kg S/ha on sulphur-poor soils raises oil content — sunflower, like all oilseeds, is strongly sulphur-responsive.
Irrigation schedule
1. Establishment
0–20 days
Light irrigation for even emergence, then keep the young crop just moist.
2. Bud initiation
30–35 days
A critical irrigation as the bud forms — moisture stress here shrinks the head.
3. Flowering
50–60 days
The most critical stage; never let the crop stress during flowering and pollination.
4. Seed filling
65–75 days
Steady moisture through seed-fill decides how many seeds fill rather than stay hollow.
Critical stages
- Bud initiation (30–35 days)
- Flowering (50–60 days)
- Seed filling (65–75 days)
Water-saving tips
- Sunflower’s deep taproot lets it use stored soil moisture — a well-prepared, deep bed reduces irrigation need.
- Concentrate the limited water you have on bud initiation and flowering, the two stages that pay back most.
- Furrow or drip irrigation on ridges wastes less water than flooding the whole field.
Weed management
Organic control
- Two hoeings — at 20 and 40 days — keep the crop clean through its weed-sensitive early growth.
- The crop’s own broad leaves shade out late weeds once the canopy closes, so early weeding is what matters.
Chemical control
- Pre-emergence Pendimethalin 1.0 kg a.i./ha within 2 days of sowing controls early grasses and broadleaf weeds.
- Follow up with one inter-culture at 25–30 days, which also breaks any surface crust.
Nutrient deficiency identification
What a shortage of each nutrient actually looks like on the plant, so you can tell a deficiency apart from a disease before you spray the wrong thing.
Boron
Visible symptom
The classic sunflower deficiency: heads that flower but set little or no seed in the centre, and cupped or brittle young leaves.
Nitrogen
Visible symptom
Pale, small older leaves, thin stems and small heads on nitrogen-starved plants.
Sulphur
Visible symptom
Yellowing of the youngest leaves and low oil content — sunflower is highly sulphur-demanding.
Magnesium
Visible symptom
Interveinal yellowing of older leaves while veins stay green, often on light or acidic soils.
Zinc
Visible symptom
Small, mottled young leaves with shortened internodes on zinc-poor soils.
Diseases to watch for
Symptoms, likely cause and what actually treats it — not just a spray name.
Sunflower necrosis disease
- Symptoms
- Necrotic (dead-brown) streaks and patches on leaves, stem and petioles; young infected plants are stunted with twisted, distorted heads and poor seed set.
- Cause
- Tobacco streak virus, transmitted by thrips — worst in early-sown, thrips-heavy crops.
- Treatment
- No cure once infected; rogue out early infected plants and control the thrips vector with a recommended insecticide.
- Prevention
- Sow at the recommended time to escape peak thrips, keep field borders weed-free, use tolerant hybrids and maintain plant population so a few rogued plants do not open gaps.
Alternaria leaf spot / blight
- Symptoms
- Dark brown spots with concentric rings on leaves, enlarging and merging to blight the foliage; also lesions on stem and head.
- Cause
- Alternaria helianthi, favoured by warm, humid, wet weather.
- Treatment
- Spray Mancozeb or a recommended fungicide at first appearance and repeat at 10–12 day intervals.
- Prevention
- Treat seed, rotate crops, avoid dense stands and remove crop debris after harvest.
Downy mildew
- Symptoms
- Stunted, bushy plants with pale-yellow patches on the upper leaf surface and a white downy growth beneath; systemically infected plants are severely dwarfed.
- Cause
- Plasmopara halstedii, spread through soil and seed, worst in cool, wet conditions.
- Treatment
- Rogue out systemically infected plants; the disease is hard to cure once systemic.
- Prevention
- Sow Metalaxyl-treated seed, use resistant hybrids and ensure good drainage.
Head rot (Sclerotinia / Rhizopus)
- Symptoms
- Soft, watery rot of the back of the head, sometimes with white fungal growth, causing the head to collapse and seeds to fall.
- Cause
- Sclerotinia and Rhizopus, favoured by wet weather and by head-borer wounds at maturity.
- Treatment
- Little can be done once heads rot; harvest promptly and dry.
- Prevention
- Control head borer (its wounds let rot in), avoid excess late irrigation, and harvest as soon as heads mature rather than leaving them out in wet weather.
Pests to watch for
What to look for before the damage is visible, and organic options before you reach for a chemical.
Head borer (Helicoverpa)
- Identification
- Caterpillars feeding on the developing head, boring into florets and seeds and leaving frass on the disc.
- Damage
- Direct seed loss and wounds that let in head rot — the main pest at flowering and seed-fill.
- Organic control
- Pheromone traps, Bt or NPV sprays, and encouraging natural enemies by avoiding insecticide during flowering.
- Chemical control
- A recommended insecticide such as emamectin benzoate applied outside peak bee-visiting hours to protect pollinators.
Thrips
- Identification
- Tiny slender insects on young leaves and buds, causing silvering and curling; often go unseen until damage shows.
- Damage
- Direct feeding plus, crucially, transmission of sunflower necrosis virus — the reason to control them early.
- Organic control
- Blue sticky traps and neem sprays; keep field borders and weeds clean, as they harbour thrips.
- Chemical control
- A systemic insecticide early in the crop to cut necrosis spread, following label and resistance guidance.
Capitulum / head-feeding caterpillars
- Identification
- Various caterpillars webbing and feeding on the back and disc of the head as it matures.
- Damage
- Loss of filled seed and entry wounds for rot.
- Organic control
- Hand-pick in small plots; Bt sprays reduce numbers.
- Chemical control
- Spot-spray a recommended insecticide on the heads at the first sign of feeding.
Birds
- Identification
- Parrots and other birds pulling seed directly from mature, drooping heads.
- Damage
- Can be severe near tree lines and settlements as the crop matures — a classic late-season loss.
- Organic control
- Bird scarers, reflective tape, watching the field at dawn and dusk, and harvesting promptly at maturity.
- Chemical control
- Not applicable — bird damage is managed by scaring and by timely harvest, not chemicals.
Common mistakes to avoid
The mistakes that cost growers the most, ranked by how often they show up in the field — not in the order you might expect.
- 1
Ignoring pollination and spraying insecticide during flowering.
Why it hurts
Bees are killed or driven off, the disc sets little seed, and the centre of every head fills empty — the commonest cause of a disappointing sunflower yield.
- 2
Saving hybrid seed from the previous crop.
Why it hurts
Hybrid seed segregates in the next generation, so yield and oil content collapse — fresh certified seed is essential every season.
- 3
Skipping boron on a boron-poor soil.
Why it hurts
Heads flower normally but fail to set seed in the middle — a deficiency that looks like a pollination failure and costs just as much.
- 4
Sowing so flowering hits peak heat or peak monsoon rain.
Why it hurts
Heat above 35°C or heavy rain during flowering wrecks seed set and invites head rot.
- 5
Leaving the crop overcrowded instead of thinning to one plant per hill.
Why it hurts
Competition makes small heads with small seed — a lot of plants, little yield.
- 6
Under-fertilising sulphur.
Why it hurts
Lower oil content means a lower price, since sunflower is bought and valued largely on oil.
- 7
Delaying the bud-stage irrigation and nitrogen.
Why it hurts
Head size is set at bud initiation — miss the water and nitrogen there and no later input recovers it.
- 8
Leaving mature heads standing in the field.
Why it hurts
Birds strip the seed and any wet weather rots the heads — a mature sunflower field is a target that must be harvested promptly.
- 9
Threshing and bagging seed that is still moist.
Why it hurts
High-oil seed heats and goes rancid quickly in storage, and moulds — dry to 8–9% before storing.
- 10
Harvesting too early, before the back of the head yellows.
Why it hurts
Immature seed is poorly filled and low in oil, dragging down both weight and grade.
Harvesting
When the back of the head turns from green to lemon-yellow and then brown, the outer bracts brown, and the seeds are hard — usually 90–110 days after sowing. Do not wait for the whole plant to dry in the field where birds and rot take their share.
Signs it is ready
- Back of head lemon-yellow to brown
- Outer bracts turned brown
- Seeds hard and the head drooping
Tools
- Sickle or knife to cut the heads
- Drying floor or tarpaulin
- Thresher or beating to separate seed
Expected yield
15–20 q/ha for an irrigated hybrid; 8–12 q/ha rainfed
Post-harvest & storage
Storage
Dry the threshed seed to 8–9% moisture before storage — sunflower seed is high in oil and turns rancid and mouldy quickly if stored damp. Store in a cool, dry, ventilated place in clean bags.
Packaging
Clean jute or woven polypropylene bags for seed destined for the oil mill; airtight containers for planting seed.
Transportation
Keep seed dry and cool in transit; heating in a damp heap spoils the oil.
Shelf life
Well-dried seed keeps a few months for crushing; oil quality is best when the crop is crushed sooner rather than stored long.
Market prices
Today's mandi price near you, pulled live from the government's own Agmarknet data.
Live daily mandi prices from the government Agmarknet dataset.
Synced from data.gov.in (Agmarknet). Rates are ₹ per quintal.
Weather
Current conditions and a 5-day outlook for your selected location, with one line of stage-aware advice.
Pick your state for current conditions and a 5-day outlook.
Live data from Open-Meteo
Profit calculator
Your own cost sheet, expected yield and selling price — not ours.
Where the money goes
Share of the total cost per acre, using the calculator’s own default cost sheet below — adjust the numbers there to match your field and this picture will no longer apply to you exactly, but the ranking rarely changes.
- Land rent35% (₹8,000)
- Labour15% (₹3,500)
- Fertiliser11% (₹2,500)
- Machinery11% (₹2,500)
- Irrigation11% (₹2,500)
- Seed7% (₹1,500)
- Pesticide & weedicide7% (₹1,500)
- Interest3% (₹600)
Official downloads
Government and ICAR documents only — everything below is hosted on an official server.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the centre of my sunflower heads empty?
Almost always poor pollination or boron deficiency. Sunflower needs insects, mainly bees, to set seed — keep bee colonies nearby and never spray insecticide during flowering. On boron-poor soils, apply borax; boron deficiency causes the same empty-centre look.
Can I save seed from my sunflower crop to sow next year?
Not from a hybrid. Hybrid seed segregates in the next generation and yield and oil content drop sharply, so buy fresh certified hybrid seed each season. Only open-pollinated varieties like Morden can be saved, and even then it is worth renewing periodically.
In which season should I grow sunflower?
Sunflower is photo-insensitive, so it grows in kharif (June–July), rabi (October–November) or spring (January–February). Choose the window where flowering avoids peak heat and heavy rain, since both ruin seed set — in much of India the rabi and spring crops are the most reliable.
How much irrigation does sunflower need?
About 5–6 irrigations for an irrigated crop, with the critical ones at bud initiation, flowering and seed filling. Its deep taproot lets it use stored soil moisture, but a stress at flowering directly cuts seed set, so never skip water there.
What is the MSP of sunflower seed?
For the KMS 2026–27 marketing season the government announced an MSP of ₹8,343 per quintal for sunflower seed — the highest absolute hike among that season’s crops. MSP is the assured floor at procurement centres; confirm the current figure and your local mandi rate before selling.
When is sunflower ready to harvest?
Harvest when the back of the head turns lemon-yellow to brown, the outer bracts brown and the seeds are hard — around 90–110 days. Harvest promptly rather than leaving mature heads in the field, where birds and head rot cause heavy late losses.
Still have questions?
The FAQs above cover the common ones. For anything specific to your field and soil, your nearest Krishi Vigyan Kendra is the authoritative answer.