The yields potential of EU sunflowers decreased

07.12.2022 | 16:22:00 | ID: 34830 | Department: Agriculture | plant Berlin (agrar-PR) - In the EU-27, a significantly smaller harvest of sunflower seeds was brought in in 2022 than in the previous year due to drought. The long-term average was also missed. According to the current estimate by the EU Commission, 9.3 million tonnes of sunflower seeds were harvested in the European Union in 2022. That would be around 10% less than in 2021. The record result of 10.4 million t from 2017, as well as the long-term average of 10.2 million t, are thus clearly missed 5.1 million ha expanded by around 18% to a new high, but the yields at 19.5 dt/ha were almost 18% lower than in 2021. The persistent drought and heat over the summer months led to yield losses. The breeding yield potential could therefore not be fully exploited. The Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants e. V. (UFOP) nevertheless sees sunflower cultivation as a regional cultivation alternative for expanding crop ...