Sunflower seed treatment with growth inhibitor: Crop development aspects and yield

Abstract

Sunflower is one of the most important oleaginous crops designated for edible oil production in the world. However, Brazilian growers still do not have enough knowledge, and technical expertise, for expanding the sunflower crop yield through the adoption of new technologies, like the utilization of plant growth regulators (paclobutrazol). The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of different doses (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mL ha-1) of the growth regulator paclobutrazol on agronomic characteristics of sunflower crop in Uberlandia, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Treating the seed with paclobutrazol decreased the size of the disk flowers and the plant height, while the number of days to complete the development cycle increased. The yield was not affected by the different doses. The use of paclobutrazol in seed treatment is an interesting tool to manage the development of the sunflower crop, as it affects desirable parameters which does not reduce seed yield.