Biotech Studies 2016, Vol 25, Num, 2     (Pages: 322-327)

The Current Situation and Future Direction of Oil Type Sunflower Production in Turkey

Yalçın KAYA

1 Trakya Üniversitesi, Mühendislik Fakültesi, Genetik ve Biyomühendislik Bölümü, Edirne DOI : 10.21566/tarbitderg.282860 - Oil type sunflower is the most important oil crops due to its higher adaptation and mechanization use, being easy marketable and the most preferred vegetable oil by consumers in Turkey. Due to the lack of our domestic oilseed production, rising vegetable oils and margarine exports and our oil deficit (4 billion in 2014) in recent years increases gradually the importance of sunflower. Oil type sunflower which are mainly cultivated in Trakya region is going to spread to other regions its acreage due to rising prices and the increases particularly in the Konya and Cukurova region in recent years are noteworthy. As being a summer crop, its yield varies depending on the year. Parameters that restrict the sunflower production in our country are weeds and downy mildew in addition to broomrape parasite which were developed resistant hybrids against it in recent years. The broad-leaf weeds such as cocklebur, Cirsium, Chenopodium etc. which are not controlled by pre emergence herbicides influence more seed yield much so Clearfield technology applied postemergence with controlling both broomrape and Imidazolinone (IMI) resistant sunflower hybrids are gradually increased its market share. In recent years, there is no sunflower variety problem because new cultivars resistant to downy mildew and broomrape are in the market. However, the increase of oleic type sunflower both offering a high quality oil to consumers as well as is much more affordable for frying oil with increasing market share widespread in the world will make an important contributions to our country economy in the future. Keywords : Sunflower, Turkey, hybrid, broomrape, downy mildew