SULFUR APPLICATION IMPROVES THE YIELD AND QUALITY OF SUNFLOWER (HELIANTHUS ANNUUS L.) HYBRIDS

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is a globally prominent oil seed. Sulfur is a vital nutrient that plays a crucial role in the growth and development of crop plants. Compared with other crops, oilseed crops require more sulfur for their role in oil biosynthesis and as an essential constituent of amino acids, vitamins, proteins, and enzyme structure. Its deficiency results in poor utilization of NPK and, ultimately, crop reduction in yield and quality. Hence, the study investigated the effect of different levels of sulfur on the harvest and quality attributes of various sunflower hybrids. The experiment comprised four sulfur levels (0, 20, 30, 40, and 50 kg per ha) and four sunflower hybrids coded as C124 x RH344, C112 x RSIN82, C116 x RH344, and C208 x RH445. The recorded data underwent analysis statistically using Fisher's analysis of variance technique, and treatment means comparison followed Tukey's honest significant difference test (HSD) at a 5% probability level. The results showed maximum plant height at maturity (75.80 cm), head diameter (17.90 cm), leaf area per plant (2,309.21 mm2), 100-achene weight (10.60 g), achene yield (2,806.61 kg ha-1), harvest index (26.58%), and oil content (48.46%), while minimum days to flower initiation (40.33 days) were evident when sowing hybrid C124 x RH344 with an application of 20 kg per ha sulfur.