The Punjab Agriculture Department advised the sunflower growers to complete sowing of their spring crop in plain areas of the province by the end of this month and in Rawalpindi division (except hilly areas) sowing should be completed from the end of February to March 20, 2010.
In order to get maximum yield, the department has advised that farmers should sow the approved varieties including Sahiwal 2002, Agaiti 2002, FH 810 Hybrid and other approved hybrid varieties. It has also been advised that single row cotton drill or tractor drill should be used for sowing of spring crop of the sunflower and distance between two sowing lanes should be kept at 2.25 feet to 2.50 feet.
Seed ratio should be kept at 12 to 15 kilograms per acre if sown through drill and in case of sowing of sunflower at the sides of the field should be kept at 8 to 10 kilograms per acre. According to the agricultural experts the two bags each of DAP and potassium sulphate should be used per acre on fertile land for sunflower crop and use one bag of urea when the crop grows around a foot high. Similarly one bag of urea should be used when the crop reaches to 2.5 to 3 feet and another bag of urea before the flowering.
Likewise, two bags of DAP and one bag of potassium sulphate should be used in fertile lands in irrigated areas, half bag urea when the crop reaches to one foot and half bag of urea when the crop reaches 2.5 to three feet height. One bag of urea should also be used in such land before the flowering of the crop, the experts added.
In Barani areas, DAP from one to one and half bag, ammonium nitrate 2-2.5 bags and potassium sulphate half bag should be used according to the fertility of the land at the time of sowing, which could ensure maximum per acre yield, the experts concluded.