Yield of sunflower and oil seed content as a function of air temperature, rainfall and solar radiation

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of air temperature, rainfall and solar radiation occurring during each phonological phase of the sunflower crop, on yield of achenes, on oil content of achenes and on oil yield in sunflower Ten experiments were carried out at Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil, with intervals of 20 days, beginning on July 30, 2007 and finishing on January 28, 2008. Each sowing time constituted an experiment. The experiments were arranged in a randomized complete block design, with four treatments (cultivars) and four replicates. It was performed the analysis of variance of each experiment separately and, after that, the joint analysis of all experiments. There was interaction between sowing date and cultivars for all the studied variables. Correlation analysis between meteorological and yield variables of sunflower were performed. The achene yield, oil content and oil yield in sunflower cultivars were higher when there were lower temperatures in the vegetative phase, higher rainfall at flowering and higher levels of radiation in the vegetative and filling of achenes phase.