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Sunflower farming guide for India
Sunflowers deplete phosphorus.
Key numbers
- SeasonKharif, Rabi and summerabout 100 days
- Water over the seasonabout 400 mmrain and irrigation together
- Soil pH6.0 to 7.5NPK guide 60:40:40
- Main riskRustsee the watchlist below
Typical values for India. Your soil test and your local KVK's advice come first.
When and where sunflower is grown
Sunflower is grown as a Kharif, Rabi and summer crop in India: Season-flexible; 90-110 day cycles.
Leading states: Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra. Soil moisture is best kept around 40 to 60% of capacity for most of the season.
What to watch on your field
What a weekly satellite and weather view of your own field shows at each stage, and when to walk the field.
Emergence
Look for gaps in the stand: crusting or a dry seed zone after sowing shows up as thin greenness in parts of the field.
Branching
Steady growth is the goal. Over-watering at this stage drives leaves at the cost of flowers and pods.
Flowering and pod set
The biggest yield risk is heat or a dry spell at flowering, which drops flowers. Watch the forecast and the field closely.
Pod fill
One missed irrigation in a dry spell during pod fill costs the most; a protective irrigation here pays back.
The main risks for sunflower
Most of these follow the weather. A risky week is a reason to inspect the crop, not to spray by default.
For any spray or dose, ask your KVK or an agronomist. VarshaKrishi's free Watch plan never names a product.
- RustThe main risk for this crop in India.
- Alternaria leaf spotHumidity-driven.
- Head borerFlowering-stage pest.
Watering sunflower well
Most pulses and oilseeds need only one or two protective irrigations, at flowering and pod fill, when rain fails. Avoid waterlogging, which these crops tolerate poorly.
Crop water use follows the FAO-56 method: the weather sets a reference demand, and the crop's stage sets how much of it the crop uses. That is why the same field needs different amounts in different weeks.
A weekly message about your own sunflower field.
Watch is free for any field in India: what changed on your field this week, the weather for your village, and a clear note when the satellite cannot see. Decide opens crop by crop after an agronomist reviews each crop model.
1.2 km × 0.9 km · each square 10 m
- Your own field, every week.The squares inside your boundary, compared with your field's own history.
- A clear note when it cannot see.Cloudy weeks and very small plots are named, not guessed.
- Free on Watch.In Marathi, Hindi or English, on WhatsApp.
How each message is made, from which satellites and with which limits: methods and evidence. A real field's year of Sentinel-2 readings, free to download: open data.
Sunflower: common questions
What soil pH does sunflower need?
Sunflower grows best at a soil pH between 6.0 and 7.5. A soil test before the season is the reliable way to know your own field.
How much water does sunflower need?
About 400 mm over a season of roughly 100 days, from rain and irrigation together. The real need changes with the weather, the soil and the crop's stage, which is why it helps to track your own field week by week.
What is the main disease or pest risk for sunflower?
Rust is the main risk. Most risks follow the weather, so a risky week is a reason to inspect the crop. Ask your KVK or an agronomist before any spray.
When is sunflower grown in India?
Sunflower is grown as a Kharif, Rabi and summer crop: Season-flexible; 90-110 day cycles.
Which states grow the most sunflower?
Leading states include Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra. VarshaKrishi's free Watch plan covers any field in these states: you need WhatsApp and your field's location, nothing installed in the field.
How much water does sunflower need per day?
There is no single daily figure for sunflower. Under the FAO-56 method, a crop's daily water use is its crop coefficient (Kc) multiplied by the day's reference evapotranspiration (ET0), which rises with heat, sun, wind and dry air. Kc is low just after sowing, highest around flowering and falls again as the crop matures, so the same field needs much more water in a hot week at flowering than in a cool week after sowing. Your KVK can give the Kc values used for sunflower in your district; the methods page lists the FAO-56 source.