Sunflowers are similar to corn, which many insects love to eat. In this section, we deal with companies that wholesale sunflower seeds.
Some of them sometimes cause problems and others deserve attention and probably need attention from time to time. The seedling stage is rarely a problem unless there is heavy cutworm infestation.
As the plant grows on sunflower foliage, many insects feed, including grasshoppers and caterpillars, but rarely cause economic damage.
The real stage of pest hunting comes when the bud starts to grow. Headworms that attack the stem just below the head can cause the entire head to fall out, but are not very common.
The main threat to sunflowers in Missouri is the sunflower butterfly or sunflower striped butterfly.
Ideally, adult moths should be identified by identification. And if there is enough, it should be sprayed before the larvae grow.
Once the eggs have hatched and the larvae have moved into the heads and seeds, insecticide control becomes very difficult.
Late planting (June or July) can prevent sunflower moths most years.
Several broad-spectrum insecticides are targeted for sunflower, including Asana, Bitroid, Furadan, Endosulfan, Loresban, Parathion, Permethrin, Stryker, and Voin. Some organic insecticides can also be used, including Bt products and pyrethrins.
In the presence of pollinating bees, it is better to avoid spraying with insecticides. Late planting (June or July) can prevent sunflower moths most years.
Several broad-spectrum insecticides are targeted for sunflower, including Asana, Bitroid, Furadan, Endosulfan, Loresban, Parathion, Permethrin, Stryker, and Voin. Some organic insecticides can also be used, including Bt products and pyrethrins.
In the presence of pollinating bees, it is better to avoid spraying with insecticides. Late planting (June or July) can prevent sunflower moths most years.
Several broad-spectrum insecticides are targeted for sunflower, including Asana, Bitroid, Furadan, Endosulfan, Loresban, Parathion, Permethrin, Stryker, and Voin.
Some organic insecticides can also be used, including Bt products and pyrethrins. In the presence of pollinating bees, it is better to avoid spraying with insecticides.
disease
Although several diseases have been identified in sunflower, as with other crops, relatively few diseases have been reported in Missouri. In cool, moist soil, seeds or seedlings can become infected with fungi, so seeds are usually treated with fungicides.
Various foliar and foliar diseases cause surface spots or yellow spots but do not affect yield. Probably the biggest threat to sunflowers is Sclerotinia (white mold), which also occurs on soybeans, canola and some other hardwood crops.
Using proper crop rotation practices, including planting sunflowers in the field more often than every three to four years, can reduce the likelihood of disease.
* Pesticides listed in this guide are product use guidelines only and do not guarantee that the product label will be applicable in Missouri. Check the product label or company representative for the latest information on pesticide use.
producing product
Sunflower seeds are usually ripe when the back of the flower is yellow. When the underside of the head turns brown, the seeds are usually ready to harvest.
In some cases, harvesting at high humidity can be beneficial to avoid bird damage or reduce losses due to dormancy or seed crushing.
Platform (seed), row crops and corn headers are successfully used in sunflower. Row cuts are perhaps the best option as they can be used without modification.
Corn heads should be cut with a fixed cutting blade before use with sunflowers. Platform headers can be used unchanged, but often have more kernels and garbage than inline headers.
Adding a slip to the front of the deck and/or changing the spool can improve performance.
The composition settings should be adjusted for sunflower compared to other crops. Due to the lighter weight of the sunflower, the air velocity should be lower.
Normally, the concave should be wide open (in a rotary combination, a 3/4″ to 1″ concave rotor setting is perfectly acceptable). 3/8 bottom screen and 1/2-5/8 top screen are common. Cylinder speed in normal mode
In colder months, sunflowers can be stored at 10 percent humidity or less, but in warmer months, storage humidity should be 8 percent or less. When measuring the moisture content of drum-dried sunflower seeds, keep in mind that the outer skin dries faster than the kernel.
Yeah. For a more accurate reading, place a portion of the seed in a sealed jar overnight and read the moisture level the next day after the moisture level between the shell and the seed is even.
Buckets with holes in the bottom are better for drying sunflowers than buckets with channels. If aeration is not available, sunflowers should be rotated between containers to avoid hot spots in stored seeds.
This can greatly reduce the incidence of storage problems. Ambient air can be used to cool and dry sunflowers.
If hot air is used, a temperature increase of 10°F above room temperature is usually sufficient to accelerate drying. Sunflowers dry out faster than corn or soybeans, so you need to prevent them from drying out too much.
Drying sunflowers has a higher fire risk than other products. The main problem is that they destroy the fine fibers of the sunflower skin and become suspended in the air, making these fibers flammable.
This combination can cause a residual fire. Avoiding the use of propane heat over open flames eliminates this risk, but special precautions can be taken when using heat.
The dryer fan air inlet can be turned to wind, allowing clean air to pass over the burner instead of air filled with sunflower fibers. By avoiding drying out, the risk of drum fire can be greatly reduced.
Other important steps in maintenance include cleaning bins and grain holders before storage and managing bins for insects. Avoid creating spikes or seed cones at the top of the basket.
Sunflowers grown for the snack market must be carefully stored, washed well, and protected from insect damage to meet food quality standards. I have.
Sunflower test weight (pounds of seed per bushel) varies with seed size, but a typical test weight for oilseed sunflower is 28 to 32 pounds per bushel. (US quality standards are only 25 pounds per unit.)
Because of their light test weight, when transporting sunflowers over long distances, high-height trailers are often used to carry more seeds and reduce transportation costs. It is commonly used.
