Contribution of leaves to the yield of sunflowers - Pine Ridge

To quantify the contribution of sunflower leaves to yield and oil quality through the application of twelve leaf defoliation treatments.Sunflowers are generally considered a minor crop in the NSW northern grains region. However, they play an important role in providing a broadleaf summer crop rotation option. An individual sunflower plant produces on average between 2000–6,000 cm2 of leaf area, which drives yield and oil content. Identifying which leaves contribute most towards yield and oil content helps growers make decisions about disease, pest and general crop management in sunflower crops. Whether it is because the crop is infected with a disease such as powdery mildew or has insect damage e.g. loopers, the end result is a need for growers and advisors to know where and when to spend money in crop protection to achieve the best economic return on investment of maintaininggreen leaf area.This experiment was one of three sunflower leaf-loss sites conducted in the 2015–16 season, with the other sites being located at Gurley and Willow Tree.