Basic Information - Genetics, Genomics and Breeding of Crop Plants - page 7

1.1 Introduction
Sunflower is distinguished from other crops by its single stem and
conspicuous large head. Radiant and dazzling, the common sunflower has
pleased and fascinated mankind for centuries. Helianthus , the genus name
of sunflower ( Helianthus annuus L.) is derived from the Greek words “helios”,
meaning sun, and “anthus”, meaning flower. The Spanish name for
sunflower, “girasol”, and the French name “tournesol” literally means “turn
with the sun”, a trait exhibited by sunflower until anthesis, after which the
capitula (heads) face the east (Fick 1989). It is a relatively new crop among
the field crops and is unique in several aspects. It is one of a few crops that
have their origin in North America. Sunflower is further unique in that it
has been bred for distinctly different uses: first as a forage crop, later as an
oilseed crop, edible confection, birdseed, and to a much lesser extent as an
ornamental for home gardens and the cut-flower industry. Cultivated
sunflower is a globally important oilseed, food, and ornamental crop.
Sunflower derives most of its economic value from the oil extracted from the
achenes, with the remaining value from the meal. Sunflower oil is of very
high quality and generally sells for a premium price compared to soybean,
rapeseed, cottonseed, and groundnut. Sunflower is grown worldwide and
performs well in most temperate climates of the world, with significant
production occurring in each of the six crop-producing continents.
1.2 Economic Importance
1.2.1 World Production Area
The world production of sunflower in 2005 was estimated to be 22.9 million
hectares in 60 countries ( Table 1-1 ) (USDA 2007). It is the second largest hybrid
crop, next only to maize, and the fifth largest among the oilseed crops after
soybean, rapeseed, cottonseed, and groundnut as a source of edible oil with a
value of over US$40 billion (FAO 2008). Cultivated sunflower is primarily
grown from single-cross hybrid seed, which was valued at $640 million in
2002, second only to maize. In 2003, sunflower seed accounted for 10% of the
world's edible plant derived oil (Kleingartner 2004).
The largest producers of sunflower seed are the Russian Federation
with 5.40 million hectares and the Ukraine with 3.69 million hectares,
accounting for almost 40% of all production, followed by the European
Union, consisting mainly of France, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, and
Romania, which produced 3.60 million hectares in 2005 ( Table 1-1 ) (USDA
2007). This was followed by India with 2.34 million hectares and Argentina
with 1.89 million hectares. Both China and the United States produced 1.05
million hectares in 2005. Although world sunflower seed production