Agronomic behavior of high oleic sunflower populations in the southeast of Coahuila, Mexico

Abstract

Sunflower is one of the most important oilseed crops in the world for the extraction of edible oil with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The objective of the present study was the characterization of 91 genotypes of high oleic sunflower, in the southeast of Coahuila. The variables evaluated were stem diameter (DT), number of leaves (NH), plant height (AP), number of seeds (NS) and grain yield per plant (REN). A cluster analysis (CA) was performed for these variables and a student t test (Minitab 16). The AC on the first team of genotypes identified two subgroups of genotypes, which were G4 (142.41 g pl-1) and G1 (132.08 g pl-1) that presented a high yield, in addition to G1 being the earliest. (DF = 60.33 days). In the case of the second team of genotypes, the AC detected two subgroups of genotypes with high yield potential, these being group G7 (195.43 g pl-1) and G8 (155.53 g pl-1), such that the G7 genotypes were the earliest (DF = 63 days). Moreover, on the second sowing date it was significantly higher in the variables of days to flowering, AP and NH in relation to the first sowing date. It is concluded that the high oleic sunflower populations evaluated presented outstanding agronomic characteristics, such as yield and precocity. It is recommended to continue evaluating genotypes considering specific abiotic factors in the southeast of Coahuila.