MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas schoolchildren learn early that the sunflower is the official state flower, but the colorful oilseed plant is also earning a reputation as a good alternative to more traditional crops such as wheat and corn.

On April 11, the Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service reported that acreage planted to sunflowers this year would jump 45 percent to 320,000 from 220,000 acres last year.

Although wild sunflowers are so common that they’ve become a weed problem through the state, recent prices, plus a tolerance for heat and drought make domestic varieties developed for oil and confectionary production a natural fit for western Kansas, particularly, said Kansas State University agronomist Curtis Thompson.

"There is money to be made in sunflowers," said Thompson, who is a crops and soils specialist with K-State Research and Extension in southwest Kansas. "Oilseed crops like sunflower, canola and soybean have a relatively larger LDP [loan deficiency payment] than other crops so that sunflowers will maintain a price between 9 and 10 cents a pound of seed sold plus any oil premiums would be over and above this price. With more and more failing wheat acres in the west, sunflowers will fit into the situation very nicely."

Uses for sunflowers are growing

Sunflowers are generally grown for human consumption. They have no known allergens, and the oil has a neutral taste. The demand for confectionary (non-oil) sunflowers has been steadily increasing for several years due to domestic and export demand. Roasted confectionary sunflower seeds are popular as a snack food as well as for baking and salads. Some sunflowers are also grown for bird feed.

Most sunflowers in Kansas are grown for frying oil production, but new markets are opening up, Thompson said. Western Kansas growers have the option to sell to a crushing plant in eastern Colorado, that is selling sunflower oil to a new company that uses the oil for industrial purposes such as dust retardants and lubrication for irrigation wells. Eventually, the plant may produce motor oil for vehicles using sunflower oil.

Using sunflower oil in biodiesel fuel is another possible future use.

The National Sunflower Association’s board of directors last month endorsed pending Minnesota legislation that would require a 2 percent blend of biodiesel fuel for all diesel fuel sold in Minnesota. The legislation mandates that Minnesota diesel fuel contain 2 percent vegetable oil. The bill is touted as a "soy" bill, but any vegetable oil could be used in the diesel fuel and vegetable oil mix.

In a March 29, 2001 news release, NSA executive director Larry Kleingartner said the trend is good for the sunflower industry whether or not sunflower oil goes into fuel tanks.

"The pricing structure of sunflower oil is historically tied to soybean oil. As soybean goes, so does sunflower."

The jump in Kansas sunflower planting intentions was no surprise to Extension agronomist Roger Stockton.

"There are a lot of things about sunflowers that make them an attractive alternative this year," said Stockton, the crops and soils specialist for northwest Kansas. In addition to their drought- and heat-resistant nature – a big consideration after last year’s parched summer – the fact that they’re a non-grass plant makes them suitable to put into a rotation to help break up pest cycles in fields traditionally planted to grass crops.

Also, many irrigators are searching for a crop that requires less water than corn due to rising irrigation fuel and fertilizer costs, Stockton said. Sunflowers can yield well with limited irrigation due to their deep root system. The average corn crop requires about 16 inches of irrigation for economic yields, while sunflowers can produce economic yields with about half as much water.

"Sunflowers are deeply rooted crops, and can utilize nutrients and moisture that have escaped below the root zone of previous crops," Thompson added.

The crop fits well into a wheat-sunflower-fallow rotation. Sunflowers may also extend a wheat-corn or wheat-sorghum-fallow rotation if adequate moisture falls in the fall and winter following the corn or sorghum harvest, he said.

Crop is not trouble free

Sunflowers have their problems, however. The head moth – an insect that has the potential to cut sunflower yields – is a key one, Thompson said. Control typically requires one to two pesticide applications at the onset of flowering.

Fertility also can be an issue. Sunflowers require about 50 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 pounds of yield, the agronomist said.

Weed control options are limited, especially if the crop is planted no till, although there are a few herbicides on the market that can address a grower’s specific situation.

The lack of residue that sunflowers leave in a field can lead to soil erosion, Thompson said. Growers can get around that somewhat, by no-till planting sunflowers into the residue of a previous crop like wheat, corn, or sorghum which will decrease the risk of erosion.

"The sunflower planting window is quite large in south central and southwest Kansas," he said. "In south central, sunflowers are often planted in April to avoid blackbird migration and damage."

Full season sunflowers should be planted by June 15, but they can be planted as late as mid-July. However, as a general rule, yields and oil production are reduced as planting dates are delayed. July seeding should only occur when sunflowers are planted double crop following winter wheat.