The Analysis of Sunflowers Yield and Water Productivity in Trakya Region

N. Citak, K. Peker, A. Semerci, I. Sahin, Y. Kaya

Abstract: Turkey exist among the top ten countries of world sunflower production that approximately 60% of sunflower areas is in Trakya Region which is European part of Turkey. The agricultural enterprises in Trakya Region have experienced due to intensive sunflower production, and this region is the main area of country’s vegetable oil industry. Although the sunflower yield is above the world average in agricultural enterprises in Trakya Region where is selected as a field of research, irrigated sunflower areas is only 2.79% of cultivated areas. Sunflower exists at second rank (42%) after the wheat in the research area. The adoption rates of farmers to new sunflower varieties including herbicide resistant (IMI) and the genetically resistant ones to broomrape are over 90%. While the average sunflower yield as 1.794 ton / ha and water productivity as 345.15 g / m3 were measured in the research area, as 1.929 ton / ha seed yield and as 369.14 g / m3 water productivity was determined in genetically resistant varieties. On the other hand, the revenue of sunflower was calculated 834.55 US$ per ha in the research area and a positive relationship between the revenue from sunflower and the water efficiency of the varieties in the study. It is revealed in the research results that among provinces as well as per unit area yields of sunflower varieties and water productivity levels exhibited statistically differences even though they had the similar climate structure and production technologies. It is concluded in the study that sunflower production should be planted in irrigated conditions, use of the cultivars that have strong reactions to irrigation and high oil content will increase farmer income as well as will reduce the Turkey’s current oil deficit.

Keywords: broomrape (Orobanche cernua L.); discriminant analysis; IMI herbicide resistant; income; sunflower; water productivity; yield

Date published: 2019-10-03