Characteristics of giant sunflowers, the best tall varieties

Sunflowers play a key role in agriculture, producing valuable vegetable oil and seeds that are widely used in the food and industrial industries. Rapid advances in plant breeding have led to the development of numerous varieties, including large-fruited and high-yielding ones.

Characteristics of giant sunflowers

Tall (giant) sunflowers have several distinctive features and characteristics that set them apart from other species. Here are the main ones:

• Plant height. They can reach heights of 1.5 to 5 meters, and some varieties even taller (the record height is 9 meters). This significantly exceeds the height of common sunflowers, which grow up to 2 meters.
• Size of inflorescences. The heads are significantly larger than those of standard varieties, with inflorescences reaching 30-50 cm in diameter.
• Stems. Thick and strong, which is necessary to support the great height and weight of large heads.
• Root system. Developed and powerful, which helps the plant provide stability and access to nutrients and water.
• Productivity. Some varieties produce large seeds, making them attractive for seed production. However, their yields may be lower than those of specialized varieties bred for mass production.
• Ripening period. As a rule, the ripening period of giant sunflowers can be slightly longer than that of standard varieties, due to their larger size.

Tall sunflower varieties

There are many varieties of tall sunflowers, developed to suit different climates and soil conditions, as well as the needs of agricultural enterprises. These varieties differ in their characteristics, making them unique and allowing for optimal selection.

Agora

This annual plant grows to 150-160 cm without branching. Distinguishing characteristics:

• Leaves - green.
• Inflorescences – large, 22-26 cm in diameter, with a yellow color and large, flat, medium-sized baskets.
• Seeds – black, large, oval-elongated, with excellent execution.
• Oil content – 50.3%.
• Taste - very nice.

Aley

A medium-sized plant, up to 170 cm tall, without branching. It has many distinctive qualities:

• Leaves - green.
• Baskets – large, flat and regular in shape.
• Seeds – oval-elongated, black with weakly defined marginal stripes.
• Productivity – 18.2 centners per 1 ha.

Suitable for culinary use: peeled seeds are added to various dishes or used as breading for cutlets.

Alcantara

An oilseed variety developed by Syngenta Crop Protection AG in Switzerland in 2015. It was included in the State Register of the Russian Federation in 2018.

This tall plant reaches a height of 140-160 cm. It has a very high oil content – ​​up to 47.4%, making it one of the most efficient and profitable varieties for vegetable oil production.

Aromatic SU

This sunflower grows up to 180 cm and is unbranched. It has an attractive appearance:

• Leaves - green with orange-yellow color.
• Seeds - striped.
• Weight - 1000 achenes weigh 54.2 g.
• Productivity – from 11.8 to 32.2 c per 1 ha.

Suitable for a variety of climates, this early-ripening variety produces a harvest in just 127 days after germination.

Gazebo

Reaches a height of up to 160 cm and does not form lateral shoots or branches. Characteristics of the crop:

• Leaves - green tint, which indicates the good condition of the plant.
• Basket - half tilted downwards.
• Inflorescences – large, up to 22 cm in diameter.
• Oil content – 48%.

Cheetah

The plant grows to a height of 160-170 cm. It does not produce lateral shoots, making it easy to care for. Distinguishing features:

• Leaves - large, colored green.
• Baskets – with a slightly convex shape and a diameter of 18-22 cm, dense and inclined downwards.
• Productivity – 23.5 centners per 1 ha.

One of the main advantages of the variety is its resistance to broomrape races AE, downy mildew (Pl1, Pl2, Pl3) and tolerance to phomopsis, which makes cultivation easier and guarantees a stable harvest.

Dracaris SLP

This oilseed variety reaches a height of 160-180 cm and lacks branching, allowing it to concentrate resources on producing large inflorescences. Its sunflower yield is 25.5 centners per hectare, which is a very good figure.

The variety has a high oil content, reaching 50-52%, and a 1000-seed weight of 68.1 g. Its main advantages include its drought resistance, making it ideal for cultivation in regions with difficult climatic conditions.

Duet SL

The plant does not exceed 150-160 cm in height and has no branches. It has the following qualities:

• Leaves - medium-sized, green, with very slight blistering and serration, flat in cross-section.
• Inflorescences – convex and fully executed.
• Seeds – predominantly black with noticeable grey stripes.
• Baskets – directed downwards on a straight stem.
• Oil content – 48-52%.
• Productivity – 21.6 per 1 ha.

This variety boasts a high oleic acid content. It is resistant to downy mildew and Phomopsis, but has average resistance to sclerotinia, which may be a disadvantage in areas with a high risk of this disease.

EC Argentic SU

An oilseed variety growing to 165-175 cm in height. Features of the crop:

• Leaves - large, dark green.
• Inflorescences – large, 21-23 cm in diameter, tilted downwards.
• Oil content – 48-49%.
• Oleic acid – more than 90%.
• Sustainability – to rust, coal rot, alternaria.

An additional advantage is genetic resistance to broomrape, which allows for high yields without the use of chemicals to control this disease.

EC Bella

The plant typically grows to a height of no more than 150 cm. It lacks branching. It is characterized by the following qualities:

• Leaves - medium-sized, green, with slight bubbling and medium serration.
• Inflorescences – large, 22 cm in diameter.
• Basket - turned downwards with the correct inclination and good execution.
• Seeds – medium thickness and size, broadly ovoid, black with grey stripes, striped.

One of the main advantages of sunflower is its good yield – 24-24 centners per 1 hectare in different regions, making it one of the most productive varieties.

EU Genesis

Capable of reaching a height of up to 160-165 cm. Distinctive qualities of the Genesis sunflower:

• Stem – medium thickness.
• Leaves - small, green, with very slight blistering and medium serration.
• Inflorescences – diameter 20-22 cm, yellow.
• Baskets – slightly convex and semi-inclined downwards.
• Seeds – narrowly ovoid, grey with distinct stripes.
• Weight - 1000 seeds weigh 64 g.
• Oil content – 51.4%.

Its high yield makes this variety very attractive to farmers and oil producers. Yields range from 22.5 to 23.9 centners per hectare.

Golden garland

An ornamental sunflower characterized by sturdy stems and attractive, elongated, slender, sea-green leaves. It reaches a height of approximately 2.5 m. Flowering occurs in the fall, from August to October. The flowers are abundant and showy.

During these months, the plants are crowned with medium-sized inflorescences, 7 cm in diameter. The flower heads open wide, are golden-yellow with a sunny hue, and emit a sweet chocolate aroma.

Karina

A mid-season variety, reaching a height of 150-170 cm. A distinctive feature is the lack of branching. Karina's characteristics:

• Leaves - green, with slight to medium bubbliness.
• Flowers - yellow color.
• Weight - 1000 seeds weigh 58.5 g.
• Oil content – 47%.
• Productivity – 30.6 centners per 1 ha.

The crop has good drought resistance.

Red sun

The plant grows to a height of 2.5 meters or more and is used as an ornamental plant. During its flowering period from July to September, it produces large, voluminous, dark-red inflorescences. It is popular for landscaping, creating a unique look.

It makes an excellent decoration for fences and old buildings. It is often used to create original and colorful ornamental hedges.

Cuba

It can reach a height of 160 to 180 cm and has no branching. Characteristics of the plant:

• Leaves - green, with medium bubbliness.
• Inflorescences – large, yellow, with each basket optimally tilted and filled with black seeds.
• Oil content – 44.3%.
• Weight - 1000 achenes weigh 53.1 g.
• Productivity – 24.8 centners per 1 ha.

London SU

The leaves are dark green, and the ray florets are yellow. The flower head is convex and semi-drooping. Although this variety is not ornamental, due to the simple shape of the flower head and the lack of branching, its average yield in the North Caucasus region is 25.5 centners per hectare.

Maximilian

This perennial sunflower is distinguished by its impressive height and abundant branching. Its straight stem reaches approximately 2 m in height, and its leaves are long and narrow. The inflorescences are 5-7 cm in diameter. They emit a chocolate aroma, making this variety ideal for cutting.

One of its main advantages is its high drought and frost tolerance. It rarely suffers from diseases and pests, making it easy to care for. Its abundant branching allows for a large number of flowers on a single plant.

Crimson Queen

A giant plant, reaching a height of 1.8-2 m. A powerful, tall stem produces a huge flower with crimson petals and a brown base, the petals having a slightly velvety texture. Flowering begins in June and continues until mid-September, delighting with its colors throughout the summer.

In landscape design, it is widely used to decorate the walls of buildings and modest, tall fences. It is suitable for creating hedges or group arrangements. It looks great as a cut flower and retains its freshness for a long time in large floor vases, decorating verandas and terraces.

MAS 83 SU

An oilseed variety developed by the French company Mas Seeds SA and added to the State Register in 2019. It has a gently sloping head with a gently convex shape and green leaves with slight blistering.

The marginal stripes and lines between the edges of the seeds are slightly visible. The crop is characterized by high yields, averaging 27.5 centners per hectare.

Master

The plant's height varies from 1.9 to 2 m. It has many characteristics:

• Leaves - Heart-shaped, without anthocyanin coloration, with medium serration and irregular shape. Lateral wing-like segments are absent.
• Basket - large, yellow.
• Ligulate flower – elongated and yellow.
• Seeds – In the lateral and marginal position, they have an oval-elongated shape, black in color with gray stripes.

NK Neoma

Height ranges from 150 to 170 cm. The plant does not form branches, making harvesting easy. Botanical description:

• Leaves - Medium-sized, green, with slight blistering and slightly serrated edges. No visual ornamental qualities.
• Inflorescences – consist of yellow flowers of ligulate and tubular shape, without anthocyanin coloration or with its weak manifestation.
• Baskets – The seeds are partially or completely turned downwards, and their seed side is convex. The size varies from small to medium.
• Seeds – broadly oval in shape and brown in colour with spots and marginal stripes.
• Oil content – 49.7%.

NK Rocky

The variety is resistant to Phomopsis and Sclerotinia. However, compared to other sunflower varieties, it is less adaptable to drought conditions and has moderate resistance to broomrape.

One of its advantages is its high oil content – ​​51.3%. It is characterized by yellow, elongated ray flowers. The average yield is 27.3 to 27.8 centners per hectare.

HCX 6012

The plant, with a thick stem, grows to 170-180 cm and is devoid of branching. Characteristic features of the crop:

• Leaves - light green, medium sized, with slight blistering.
• Inflorescences – 23-25 ​​cm in diameter, painted yellow.
• Baskets – small, thin, convex in shape.
• Seeds – narrowly ovoid, black with grey stripes.
• Oil content – 49.1%.
• Weight - 1000 seeds weigh 65-70 g.

NSH 6008

This variety is distinguished by its tall growth, reaching 160 to 180 cm, and lacks branching. Characteristic qualities:

• Leaves - small, green, without pronounced blistering or with its weak manifestation.
• Inflorescences – medium size, with a diameter of 21 to 25 cm.
• Basket - flat on the seed side and completely filled, colored yellow and tilted downwards.
• Seeds – Narrowly ovoid, medium-sized, and elongated, they are black with a gray stripe and have a striped pattern.

Oasis KLP

This annual oilseed variety is characterized by tall, unbranched growth. Its sturdy stems and single, yellow inflorescences facilitate harvesting. It adapts to stressful conditions and has good disease resistance, making it a reliable choice for farmers.

Despite the lack of decorative qualities and a somewhat long ripening period, the high yield (27 centners per 1 hectare) and other advantages of this variety compensate for these shortcomings.

Reina

The plant reaches 160-170 cm in height and is distinguished by the following qualities:

• Stem – curved and unbranched.
• Leaves - medium-sized, green, with moderate blistering.
• Baskets – slightly convex.
• Seeds – Broad, ovoid in shape. The base color is black, and the stripes on them are faintly visible.
• Oil content – from 48 to 54%.
• Productivity – 22.8 centners per 1 ha.

The culture exhibits resistance to stress conditions and 8 races of diseases, including downy mildew and sclerotinia.

Rimisol

This oilseed variety is distinguished by its high yield and is characterized by a tall growth habit. Plant height ranges from 140 to 160 cm, and inflorescence diameter varies from 19 to 22 cm.

Characteristics of the variety:

• Stem – medium thickness, no branching.
• Leaves - Heart-shaped, light green, devoid of anthocyanin and gloss. The edges are coarsely serrated and slightly blistered.
• Inflorescence – yellow: ligulate flowers, tubular flowers - all yellow, and the anthocyanin color of the stigmas is average.
• Basket - thin and convex on the seed side; half turned downwards. The inflorescence is medium in size.
• Seeds – broadly oval in shape, with grey stripes on a black background.
• Oil content – 44.7%.

Sanmarin 421

The sunflower reaches a height of 165 to 175 cm and is characterized by a strong, unbranched stem. It has the following distinctive characteristics:

• Leaves - Heart-shaped, light green in color, and lacking anthocyanin coloration, they lack gloss, and bubbliness is either absent or very weak.
• Inflorescences – medium in size, 18-20 cm in diameter, and its color is yellow.
• Baskets – flat and directed downwards.
• Seeds – Oval-elongated, medium-sized. They are black with a gray stripe along the edge and side. They can be striped.

Safari

This oilseed variety is a tall plant characterized by a lack of branching. Its leaves are green with very little or no blistering. The marginal stripes of the seeds are faintly visible.

The average sunflower yield is 26.6 centners per hectare. Its advantage is its high oil content—from 48.3% to 49.5%. Safari sunflower has moderate resistance to broomrape but is rarely affected by downy mildew. In the field, this variety is slightly susceptible to Phomopsis.

SI Laskala

This tall variety reaches 150 to 170 cm and is unbranched. Characteristic features:

• Leaves - large, green, with slight bubbling.
• Inflorescences – medium-sized, with a diameter of 16 to 18 cm. The flowers are yellow and orange, and the anthocyanin coloration of the stigma is absent.
• Baskets – their shape resembles an inverted cup.
• Seeds – broadly ovoid, with a basic black color and gray stripes.
• Oil content – 49.1%.
• Weight - 1000 seeds weigh from 53.5 to 60.8 g.
• Productivity – from 20.5 to 49.2 c per 1 ha.

Its disadvantage is its dull appearance, which does not make it particularly decorative.

Suzuka HTS

This sunflower variety grows to a height of 160 to 180 cm and is characterized by a lack of branching, making it easy to handle and harvest. The leaves are green, and the flowers are orange-yellow.

One of the main advantages of this variety is its yield—approximately 25.1 centners per hectare—and its high oil content—up to 52.8%. It is adapted to arid conditions, allowing it to produce a stable yield even with limited moisture. It does have one drawback: susceptibility to white rot and rust.

Surus

This tall sunflower variety can reach a height of up to 190 cm and is characterized by a lack of branching, making it easier to care for and contributing to higher yields. The stripes between the edges of the achene are either absent or very faint.

One of its main advantages is its oil content, reaching 52%. This makes it one of the most efficient varieties for vegetable oil production. The crop is resistant to various diseases and pests, including downy mildew.

Talda

This variety grows from 165 to 170 cm in height and is characterized by the following distinctive features:

• Leaves - green, practically free of bubbliness.
• Inflorescences – 20-22 cm in diameter, yellow.
• Baskets – convex.
• Oil content – 49%.
• Productivity – 29.4 centners per 1 ha.

The variety is resistant to downy mildew, but moderately susceptible to white rot.

Tunic

It is distinguished by its high yield, large orange-yellow inflorescences, and good oil content. It is characterized by weak branching and a tilted head, which can lead to inflorescences growing close to the soil surface and complicate harvesting.

Among the advantages, excellent yields are highlighted, which vary from 17.2 to 26 centners per 1 hectare.

Tunka

This variety can reach a height of up to 150 cm. It has many interesting features:

• Stem – straight, unbranched.
• Leaves - heart-shaped, green, without anthocyanin and gloss.
• Inflorescence – medium-sized, about 15.9 cm in diameter, yellow in color.
• Baskets – convex, half turned downwards, oval-elongated.
• Seeds - black, with gray stripes.

The flowering period varies from early to mid-season depending on climate conditions, and the time from germination to harvest is approximately 109-114 days.

Smart guy

The sunflower plant reaches a height of 190-210 cm. Features of the crop:

• Leaves - medium, green, with very little or no bubbling.
• Ligulate flower – narrowly ovoid, yellow.
• Tubular flower – orange, without anthocyanin coloration of the stigma.
• Basket - downward-facing with a curved stem, large, strongly convex shape of the seed side.
• Seeds – medium-sized, narrowly ovoid in shape, the main color is black with faint gray stripes.

Excellent

It reaches a height of 160-170 cm and is characterized by a lack of branching. It has the following distinctive features:

• Leaves - green.
• Inflorescences – bright yellow.
• Seeds – 1000 achenes weigh 53.1 g.
• Productivity – 23 centners per 1 hectare.

Its high drought tolerance, rated 10 out of 10, makes it particularly attractive for regions with unpredictable climatic conditions.

Voronezh 638

The plant grows up to 184 cm in height and is a honey plant. It is noteworthy for its following characteristics:

• Inflorescences – large, slightly or strongly inclined.
• Seeds – large, oval, black, well formed.
• Oil content – 54%.
• Sustainability – to gray and white rot, downy mildew, broomrape.

The variety is intended for the production of sunflower oil, which is used as a food product and for technical purposes.

Yenisei

The plant is robust and lodging-resistant, reaching a height of approximately 140-170 cm. It is characterized by the following qualities:

• Leaves - large, rough.
• Inflorescence – large, 25-40 cm in diameter, strongly or slightly inclined.
• Flowers – self-pollinating, yellow.
• Seeds – large, oval, black, with a striped pattern, well developed.

Cossack

The central main stem varies in height from 200 to 220 cm. Thanks to its strong and sturdy trunk, the plants do not deform under the weight of the ripened heads. This variety is a honey plant and cross-pollinated, and has a well-developed root system.

Features of the culture:

• Basket - large, 30 cm in diameter, slightly tilted downwards.
• Seeds – large, black.
• Weight - 1000 seeds weigh 150 g.
• Oil content – 50%.

More than 35 centners of high-quality seeds are collected on industrial sites of 1 hectare.

How to harvest large sunflowers?

Harvesting large sunflowers follows specific rules. Please note the following:

• The plants are ready for harvesting when the flowers begin to dry out and the heads turn yellow. Seeds begin to emerge from them.
• Harvest in dry, sunny weather to ensure the seeds are dry. The optimal time is midday, after the morning moisture has evaporated.
• Combine harvesters equipped with special seed collection and cleaning devices are effective. These machines quickly collect seeds, separating them from stem debris and other impurities.
• To harvest large sunflowers, adjust the height to avoid damaging the stems and collect the seeds as efficiently as possible.

Store harvest in a cool, dry place until ready to use or sell.

Reviews

Large sunflower varieties are an integral part of the modern agricultural sector, ensuring the stable production of valuable raw materials for oil and other industries. Their high yields, adaptability to various climatic conditions, and seed quality make them indispensable for farmers worldwide.

Frequently Asked Questions