Research Article
Effects of Plant Density on Growth Dynamics and Main Stem Height of Sunflower Varieties: A Case Study in Azerbaijan
Dünya Ali Isayeva1* and Sait Engindeniz2
1Azerbaijan State Agricultural University, Faculty of Agronomy, Department of General Agriculture, Genetics and Plant Breeding, Ganja-Azerbaijan; 2Ege University Faculty of Agriculture Department of Agricultural Economics, 35100 Izmir-Türkiye.
Abstract | The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of plant density on the development dynamics and height of the main stem in sunflower varieties. The plant density applied in the study had different effects depending on the biological and morphological characteristics of the varieties. The same effect was observed in different development stages of the plant. The phenological observations conducted show that the existence of certain differences within the same variety is because of the climate as well as the implementation of various agrotechnical measures. In the varieties, those indicators were different depending on the biological and morphological characteristics of the varieties. As a result of the long-term scientific research conducted by scientists with sunflowers and our research, it became clear that the height of the main stems is not the same as the genotype, biological and morphological characteristics of the varieties. Sometimes, depending on the influence of natural factors, there is a certain difference in the height of the main stems. The implementation of all agrotechnical measures designed for the growth of sunflowers in the optimal time has a positive effect on its development stages in all cases. Despite the prescribed norms of plant density given to sunflower varieties, the unstable climate changes the development dynamics of the varieties.
Received | March 20, 2025; Accepted | May 07, 2025; Published | October 09, 2025
*Correspondence | Dünya Ali Isayeva, Azerbaijan State Agricultural University, Faculty of Agronomy, Department of General Agriculture, Genetics and Plant Breeding, Ganja-Azerbaijan; Email: [email protected]
Citation | Isayeva, D.A. and S. Engindeniz. 2025. Effects of plant density on growth dynamics and main stem height of sunflower varieties: A case study in Azerbaijan. Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, 41(4): 1531-1539.
DOI | https://dx.doi.org/10.17582/journal.sja/2025/41.4.1531.1539
Keywords | Sunflower, Seeding rate, Plant density, Variety, Main stem height
Copyright: 2025 by the authors. Licensee ResearchersLinks Ltd, England, UK.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Introduction
Ukraine and Russia are the most important sunflower producing countries in the world. Argentina, China, Türkiye and Bulgaria are other important countries. In 2023, 58.6 million tons of sunflower were produced in the world on 30.1 million hectares of land (FAOSTAT, 2025). In Azerbaijan, 28,178 tons of sunflowers were produced on 9,899 hectares of land in 2023. Most sunflower production areas are in the Ganja-Dashkasan, Gazakh-Tovuz and Karabakh economic regions (ASSC, 2025).
The most widely planted varieties of sunflower in Azerbaijan are Gigant-549, VNIIMK-883, Kazio, Alazan, Oreshka varieties (Mammadov and Ismayilov, 2012). Lakomka, Dobrinin, Oreshka, VNIIMK-883 varieties are the most cultivated varieties in the Ganja-Dashkasan region. In sunflower planting, the distance between the rows is 70 cm and distance between the plants can be 25-35 cm depending on soil fertility and rainfall. In short varieties, the distance between plants should be about 25 cm, medium height plant is 30 cm and tall height plants are 35 cm. Arid and less fertile land conditions distance between rows can be 35-40 cm, in irrigated, rainy and fertile soil conditions distance between rows is 25 cm. In one hectare area to be able to get high productivity according to the type and soil conditions any number of plants can be around 4000-5500 (Anonymous, 2017).
It is stated in the “State Program of Socio-Economic Development of the Regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2019-2023: The development of the regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan is an important component of the sustainable socio-economic development strategy successfully implemented in the country. The implementation of the tasks provided for in the adopted and successfully implemented state programs in the field of regional development, as well as in the orders on additional measures for the socio-economic development of the regions, will contribute to the sustainable development of the non-oil sector in the country, the improvement of the quality of communal services and social infrastructure provision in the regions and the further improvement of the entrepreneurial environment, creates conditions for the increase of investment, the opening of new enterprises, jobs and as a result, the increase of employment of the population (Aliyev, 2008, 2019).
By applying the achievements of scientific and advanced practice, the yield of sunflower can be greatly increased. The sunflower plant is of special importance in the social and economic development of Azerbaijan. By applying the achievements of science and advanced experience to the cultivation of sunflowers, its productivity can be further increased. In addition to the increase of the product, it should be given a lot of space to improve its quality, to plant fast-growing varieties, to harvest the product in the optimal time, to apply new technologies and other measures (Aliyev, 1999).
To improve the productivity and quality of the plant, which has such a strategic importance, multi-disciplinary scientific research works are being conducted. Variety has a special role in improving the quality of the product. In recent times, farmers who plant sunflowers have had a lot of difficulty in selecting varieties that give higher yields in the natural and climatic conditions of their farms.
Being the cheapest means of increasing the productivity of a separate plant, variety has now become such a powerful biological management factor that without it, the application of the achievements of science and technology in agriculture, a new efficient system, chemicalization etc. capital investment cannot be optimized. The variety plays a special biological role in the production of modern agricultural plants and the implementation of intensive technology. Applied agro-technical measures have a greater effect on its high and quality yield. This allows any variety to preserve its biological and morphological characteristics for a long time (Seyidaliyev et al., 2014).
It has been determined in many studies that plant density in sunflower can influence yield and product quality (Pekcan and Esendal, 2015; Gül and Ada, 2019; Li et al., 2019; Mladenovic et al., 2020; Karaozan and Ertekin, 2022; Barisik et al., 2024). On the other hand, plant heights may vary depending on the variety. For example, in a study, the plant height was determined as 300 cm in the Giant-(Gigant)-549 variety, 206 cm in the Oreshka variety and 160 cm in the Kazio variety (Kazimov and Ismayilov, 2024).
The food and technical importance of vegetable oils is great. The shell of sunflower seeds is used as a raw material in the industry to obtain hexose and pentose sugars. Alcohol is obtained from hexose sugars and furfural is obtained from pentose sugars, from which artificial fibers, plastics, unbreakable glasses, etc. At the same time, linoleum, tarpaulin, waterproof fabrics, etc. are used in the industry. Oilseeds are also a source of plant protein. 35-40% protein is found in the press cake, which remains when the oil of the seeds is processed. One centner of the remaining press cake after oil processing is equal to 102 feed units or 3.6 kg of protein.
Some studies have been done on the technical and economic aspects of sunflower growing in Azerbaijan (Mammadov and Ismayilov, 2012; Gholinezhad et al., 2015; Ismayilzade et al., 2015; Anonymous, 2017; Huseyn, 2017; Ibrahimov and Valiyeva, 2018; Ismayilova, 2022; Bashirova, 2022; Aslanov and Abbasova, 2022). However, it is necessary to carry out research at the regional level, especially at the technical level, for the development of this branch of production.
The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of plant density on the development dynamics and height of the main stem in sunflower varieties. In the study, different effects of applied plant density were investigated depending on the biological and morphological characteristics of the varieties. The same effects were also evaluated for different developmental stages of the plant.
Materials and Methods
The study was conducted in 2022-2023. The applications were carried out in the trial area of the Plant Protection and Technical Plants Research Institute in the Samukh region of Azerbaijan. This region is located in the north-west of the country and belongs to the Ganja-Dashkasan (Figure 1).
In this study, the varieties “Alazan”, “Oreshka” and “Kazio” are studied comparatively by applying the mentioned complex agrotechnical measures. In study were planned control (without fertilizer), 10 tons of manure, 15 tons of manure, 42,000, 47,000 and 56,000 plant density per hectare, 3, 4, and 5 times irrigation for each of the varieties (Table 1).
The experiment consists of 9 variants. Each variant has 4 repetitions. Each repetition in the experimental area is 50 m long and 2.8 m wide (4 rows, 70 cm between rows). In the study, a replicate area was 140 m2 and the total experimental area was 5040 m2. The effects of varieties, plant density and variety x plant density interaction were evaluated using analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Results and Discussion
The plant density applied in the study had different effects depending on the biological and morphological characteristics of the varieties. The same effect was observed in different development stages of the plant. As can be seen from Table 2, plant density has different effects on the general development dynamics of the sunflower plant.
Table 1: Scheme of the experiment.
|
Variants |
Repetitions |
||||||
|
Varieties |
Sowing scheme and plant density, (thousand units/ hectare) |
Organic fertilizer rates |
Irrigations |
I |
II |
III |
IV |
|
Alazan |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
Control (no fertilizer) |
3 times |
1 |
10 |
19 |
28 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
10 tons of manure |
4 times |
2 |
11 |
20 |
29 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
15 tons of manure |
5 times |
3 |
12 |
21 |
30 |
|
|
Oreshka |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
5 tons of manure |
3 times |
4 |
13 |
22 |
31 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
10 tons of manure |
4 times |
5 |
14 |
23 |
32 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
15 tons of manure |
5 times |
6 |
15 |
24 |
33 |
|
|
Kazio |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
5 tons of manure |
3 times |
7 |
16 |
25 |
34 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
10 tons of manure |
4 times |
8 |
17 |
26 |
35 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
15 tons of manure |
5 times |
9 |
18 |
27 |
36 |
|
Table 2: Effect of plant density on development dynamics of sunflower varieties (2022)
|
Varieties |
Variants |
1st main leaves |
2nd main leaves |
3rd main leaves |
Flowering |
Basket formation |
Maturing |
|
Alazan |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
March 25 |
March 28 |
April 1 |
April 24 |
May 12 |
June 25 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
March 25 |
March 28 |
March 31 |
April 23 |
May 11 |
June 27 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
March 24 |
March 27 |
March 29 |
April 22 |
May 9 |
June 24 |
|
|
Oreshka |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
March 21 |
March 24 |
March 27 |
April 24 |
May 10 |
June 13 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
March 21 |
March 24 |
March 27 |
April 23 |
May 9 |
June 15 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
March 20 |
March 22 |
March 25 |
April 22 |
May 8 |
June 14 |
|
|
Kazio |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
March 19 |
March 22 |
March 25 |
April 18 |
May 8 |
June 20 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
March 19 |
March 22 |
March 24 |
April 17 |
May 7 |
June 24 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
March 18 |
March 21 |
March 22 |
April 16 |
May 6 |
June 22 |
Table 3: Plant density effect of main stem height in sunflower varieties (2022).
|
Varieties |
Variants |
Development stages (cm) |
||
|
Flowering |
Basket formation |
Maturing |
||
|
Alazan |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
62-66 |
68-75 |
90-96 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
67-78 |
81-86 |
97-104 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
73-89 |
86-98 |
103-111 |
|
|
Oreshka |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
86-92 |
145-154 |
180-194 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
91-98 |
151-164 |
188-205 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
96-105 |
157-173 |
197-216 |
|
|
Kazio |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
78-82 |
134-145 |
158-166 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
85-92 |
144-151 |
165-172 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
93-113 |
153-162 |
173-181 |
|
The phenological observations conducted show that the existence of certain differences within the same variety is because of the climate as well as the implementation of various agro-technical measures. In the varieties, those indicators were different depending on the biological and morphological characteristics of the varieties.
1st main leaves in the Alazan variety on March 25; 2nd main leaves March 28; 3rd main leaves March 31; April 1; March 29; flowering stages April 24; April 23; April 22; basket formation stages May 12; May 11; May 9; the maturing stages is June 25; June 27, June 26 hesitated.
The 1st main leaves in Oreshka variety on 2 options March 21; and March 20, 2nd main leaves on 2 options March 24; and March 22; 3rd main leaves March 27 for 2 options; and March 25; flowering stages April 24; April 23; April 22; basket formation stages May 10; May 9; May 8; the maturing stages is June 13; June 15; June 14 was observed.
1st main leaves on variants in Kazio variety March 19; March 19; and March 18; 2nd main leaves March 22; March 22; March 21; 3rd main leaves March 25; March 24; March 22; flowering stages April 18; April 17; April 16; basket formation stages May 8; May 7; May 6; the maturing stages is June 20; June 24; June 25 was observed.
As can be seen from Table 3, the effect of plant density on the height of the main stem in sunflower varieties was different. The results in different development stages of the sunflower plant were as follows.
In the stages of flowering, basket formation and maturing, the height of the main stems in the variety “Alazan” was 70 x 35-1, the density of 42 thousand plants variant 62-66, 68-75, 90-96 cm; 70x30-1 sowing scheme, 47 thousand plant density variant 67-78; 81-86; 97-104 cm, 70x25-1 sowing scheme, 56 thousand plant density variant 73-89; 86-98; 103-111 cm.
In the flowering stages in the Oreshka variety the sowing scheme of 70x35-1, the density of 42 thousand plants, the height of the main stems was 86-92 cm, in basket formation 145-154 cm and maturity 180-194 cm. Those indicators were 91-98, 151-164, 188-205 cm, in the variant with 70x30-1 sowing scheme, 47 thousand plant density and 96-105, 157-173, 197-216 cm in the variant with 70x25-1 sowing scheme, 56 thousand plant density.
In the flowering stages, the height of the main stems was 78-82 cm in the variant of 70x35-1 seeding scheme, 42 thousand plant density in Kazio variety: 134-145 cm in basket formation and 158-166 cm in maturity. Those indicators were 85-92 in the 70x30-1 sowing scheme, 47 thousand plant density 144-151, 167-172 cm, 70x25-1 sowing scheme, 56 thousand plant density version 93-113, 153-162,172-181 cm.
During the research conducted in 2023, different results were obtained for different varieties of the sunflower plant (Table 4).
The 1st main leaves in the Alazan variety were on March 28; 2nd main leaves March 31; 3rd main leaves on two options April 5; and April 4; flowering stages in two variants April 25; and April 24; basket formation stages May 15; May 13; May 12; the maturing stages is June 29; June 28; June 26.
The 1st main leaves in Oreshka variety were for all variants on March 29; 2nd main leaves for all options March 30; 3rd main leaves on 2 options April 4; and April 5; flowering stages April 23 for option 2; and April 22; basket formation stages May 11; May 10; May 13; the maturing stages on June 14 for 2 variants and June 15.
The 1st main leaves on all variants in Kazio variety were for all variants March 27; and 2nd main leaves on all options March 31; 3rd main leaves April 5; and April 4 on 2 options; flowering stages for all variants April 21; basket formation stages May 9; May 8; May 7; the maturing stages is June 21; 2 options in June 23.
As can be seen from Table 5, the effect of plant density and irrigation on the height of the main stem in sunflower varieties was different.
Table 4: Effect of plant density on development dynamics of sunflower varieties (2023).
|
Varieties |
Variants |
1st main leaves |
2nd main leaves |
3rd main leaves |
Flowering |
Basket formation |
Maturing |
|
Alazan |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
March 28 |
March 31 |
April 5 |
April 25 |
May 15 |
June 29 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
March 28 |
March 31 |
April 5 |
April 25 |
May 13 |
June 28 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
March 28 |
March 31 |
April 4 |
April 24 |
May 12 |
June 26 |
|
|
Oreshka |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
March 29 |
March 30 |
April 3 |
April 23 |
May 11 |
June 15 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
March 29 |
March 30 |
April 3 |
April 23 |
May 10 |
June 14 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
March 29 |
March 30 |
April 5 |
April 22 |
May 13 |
June 14 |
|
|
Kazio |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
March 27 |
March 31 |
April 5 |
April 21 |
May 5 |
June 21 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
March 27 |
March 31 |
April 3 |
April 21 |
May 8 |
June 23 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
March 27 |
March 31 |
April 3 |
April 21 |
May 7 |
June 23 |
Table 5: Plant density effect of main stem height in sunflower varieties (2023).
|
Varieties |
Variants |
Development stages (cm) |
||
|
Flowering |
Basket formation |
Maturing |
||
|
Alazan |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
43-49 |
59-67 |
82-86 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
60-63 |
69-78 |
92-99 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
64-75 |
80-85 |
94-102 |
|
|
Oreshka |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
82-90 |
135-142 |
168-174 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
89-96 |
142-151 |
170-188 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
94-107 |
150-162 |
182-203 |
|
|
Kazio |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
72-80 |
122-135 |
146-158 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
85-92 |
129-138 |
154-166 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
94-99 |
135-138 |
162-175 |
|
The results of the research we conducted in 2023 in different development stages of the sunflower plant were as follows.
In the stages of flowering, basket formation and maturing, the height of the main stem in the variety “Alazan” was 70 x 35-1, the density of 42 thousand plants variant was 43-49, 59-67, 82-86 cm; 70x30-1 sowing scheme, 47 thousand plant density variant 60-63, 69-78, 92-99 cm, 70x25-1 sowing scheme, 56 thousand plant density variant was 64-75, 80-85, 94-102 cm.
In the flowering stages, the Oreshka variety has a 70x35-1 sowing scheme, a density of 42,000 plants variant the height of the main stem was 82-90, 135-142 cm in basket formation and 168-174 cm in maturity. Those indicators were 89-96,142-151, 170-188 cm the variant with 70x30-1 sowing scheme, 47 thousand plant density variant, 70 x 25-1 sowing scheme, 56 thousand plant density variant was 94-107, 150-162, 182-203 cm.
In the flowering stages, in the Kazio variety, the sowing scheme is 70x35-1, the density of 42 thousand plants variant the height of the main stem was 72-80 cm, 122-135 cm in basket formation and 146-158 cm in maturity. Those indicators were 85-92 129-138, 154-166 cm in the 70x30-1 sowing scheme, 47,000 plant density; 70x25-1 sowing scheme, 56 thousand plant density version were 94-99, 135-138, 162-175 cm.
Typically, the average oilseed sunflower yield of an experienced farmer in fertile soil range from 2.3 to 2.8 t/ha. These numbers are decreased when the crop grows in dry conditions without irrigation and few rainfalls, reaching 0.7-2.0 t/ha. Studies conducted in different countries have shown that sunflower yields can vary. Sunflower yields were determined as 2,782 kg/ha in Türkiye (Gül and Coban, 2020), 2,575 kg/ha in Kazakhstan (Gordeyeva et al., 2024), and 2,798 kg/ha in Ethiopia (Awoke and Anteneh, 2022).
As a result of our research in 2022, the effect of sowing scheme and plant density on the productivity of sunflower varieties was different. In the control (70x35-1/ 42 thousand plants) version of the “Alazan” variety, the yield per hectare was 25.8 centners (1 centner=100 kg). 70x35-1 sowing scheme, with a density of 47 thousand plants per hectare, yielded 32.3 centners. This means 5.8 centners or 22.4% more than the control variant. 70x25-1 sowing scheme, 56,000 plant density options per hectare yielded 31.0 centners/ha, which means 5.2 centners or 20.1% more yield than the control variant (Table 6).
In “Oreshka” variety, 70x35-1 sowing scheme, 42 thousand plant density per hectare yielded 33.6 centners, which means 7.8 centners or 30.2 % more yield. İn the 70x30-1 sowing scheme, with a density of 47 thousand plants per hectare, the yield per hectare was 35.9 centners, which means 10.1 centners and 39.1% excess yield. In the 70x25-1 sowing scheme, with a density of 56 thousand plants per hectare, the yield per hectare was 34.6 centners, which means 8.8 centners and 33.9% excess yield.
Table 6: Effect of sowing scheme and plant density on productivity of sunflower varieties (2022).
|
Variants |
Productivity per repetition (centner/ha) (*) |
Average yield (centner/ha) (*) (**) |
Product increase |
|||||
|
(centner/ha) (*) |
% |
|||||||
|
I |
II |
III |
IV |
|||||
|
Alazan |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
25.4 |
26.2 |
24.9 |
26.7 |
25.8 |
- |
- |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
29.9 |
32.7 |
31.8 |
32.3 |
31.6 |
5.8 |
22.4 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
29.5 |
31.6 |
32.5 |
30.4 |
31.0 |
5.2 |
20.1 |
|
|
Oreshka |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
33.1 |
34.6 |
33.2 |
33.8 |
33.6 |
7.8 |
30.2 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
35.2 |
34.9 |
36.7 |
36.9 |
35.9 |
10.1 |
39.1 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
34.8 |
33.4 |
34.6 |
35.6 |
34.6 |
8.8 |
33.9 |
|
|
Kazio |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
29.4 |
30.5 |
31.5 |
32.0 |
30.8 |
5.0 |
19.3 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
32.4 |
33.1 |
31.8 |
32.3 |
32.4 |
6.6 |
25.5 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
30.9 |
32.6 |
30.7 |
31.8 |
31.5 |
5.7 |
22.0 |
|
(*) 1 centner = 100 kg (**) Significant at the 0.05 level
Table 7: Effect of sowing scheme and plant density on productivity of sunflower varieties (2023).
|
Variants |
Yield per repetition (centner/ha) (*) |
Average yield (centner/ha) (*) (**) |
Yield increase |
|||||
|
(centner/ha) (*) |
% |
|||||||
|
I |
II |
III |
IV |
|||||
|
Alazan |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
22.1 |
24.5 |
22.7 |
23.5 |
23.2 |
- |
- |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
25.5 |
29.3 |
26.7 |
27.1 |
27.1 |
3.9 |
16.9 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
26.6 |
28.4 |
27.9 |
25.2 |
27.0 |
3.8 |
16.4 |
|
|
Oreshka |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
24.5 |
29.6 |
28.3 |
30.7 |
28.2 |
5.0 |
21.5 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
29.4 |
32.0 |
32.8 |
32.9 |
31.7 |
8.5 |
36.6 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
26.6 |
31.7 |
32.3 |
31.8 |
30.6 |
7.4 |
31.8 |
|
|
Kazio |
70×35-1(42 thousand plants) |
25.1 |
27.4 |
29.2 |
26.7 |
26.9 |
3.7 |
15.9 |
|
70×30-1(47 thousand plants) |
27.2 |
29.6 |
30.3 |
28.8 |
28.9 |
5.7 |
24.8 |
|
|
70×25-1(56 thousand plants) |
26.7 |
28.8 |
29.6 |
28.5 |
28.4 |
5.2 |
22.4 |
|
(*) 1 centner = 100 kg (**) Significant at the 0.05 level.
In “Kazio” variety 70x35-1 sowing scheme, 42 thousand plants per hectare, 30.8 centners of yield was obtained, which means 5.0 centners or 19.3% more yield. In the 70x30-1 sowing scheme, with a density of 47 thousand plants per hectare, the yield per hectare was 32.4 centners, which means 6.6 centners and 25.5% excess yield. In the 70x25-1 sowing scheme, with a density of 56 thousand plants per hectare, the yield per hectare was 31.5 centners, which means 5.7 centners and 22.0% excess yield.
Productivity in all 3 varieties was slightly different from the effect of applied agrotechnical measures. It varied greatly depending on plant density and sowing scheme. The highest yield was 35.9 centners in the 70x25-1 sowing scheme of the Oreshka variety, with a density of 47,000 plants per hectare, which means 10.1 centners and 39.1% excess yield.
As a result of study in 2023, the effect of sowing scheme and plant density was different on the productivity of sunflower varieties. In the control (70x35-1 (42 thousand plants)) variant of the Alazan variety, the productivity per hectare was 23.2 centners. 70x30-1 sowing scheme, with a density of 47 thousand plants per hectare, yielded 27.1 centners. This means 3.9 centners or 16.9% more productivity than the control variant. 70x25-1 sowing scheme, with a density of 56,000 plants per hectare, yielded 27.0 centners/ha, which means 3.8 centners or 16.4% more than the control variant (Table 7).
In the Oreshka variety, 28.2 centners of yield was obtained in the 70x35-1 sowing scheme, with a density of 42,000 plants per hectare, which means 5.0 centners or 21.5% more yield. In the 70x30-1 sowing scheme, with a density of 47 thousand plants per hectare, the yield per hectare was 31.7 centners, which means 8.5 centners and 36.6% excess yield. In the 70x25-1 sowing scheme, with a density of 56 thousand plants per hectare, the yield per hectare was 30.6 centners, which means 7.4 centners and 31.8% excess yield.
70x35-1 sowing scheme of Kazio variety, 26.9 centners yield was obtained in variant with 42 thousand plants density per hectare, which means 3.7 centners or 15.9% more yield. 70x30-1 sowing scheme, 47,000 plant density per hectare and 4 times irrigation, yield per hectare was 28.9 centners, which means 5.7 centners and 24.8% excess yield. In the 70x25-1 sowing scheme, with a density of 56 thousand plants per hectare, the yield per hectare was 28.4 centners, which means 5.2 centners and 22.4% excess yield.
Productivity in all 3 varieties was slightly different from the effect of applied agrotechnical measures. It varied greatly depending on plant density and sowing pattern. The highest yield was 31.7 centners in the variety Oreshka, 70x30-1 sowing scheme, 47 thousand plants per hectare, which means 8.5 centners and 36.6% excess yield.
Some previous studies have also shown that fertilization increases the yield and quality of sunflower (Baraich et al. 2016; Gawande et al. 2022). In some studies, it has been determined that increasing plant density significantly increases seed yield (Barros et al., 2004; Szabo and Pepo, 2007). In a study conducted in Türkiye, the yield and oil yield of sunflower varieties were positively affected by increasing plant density. It was determined that the yield varied between 3,132 and 4,810 kg/ha (Barisik et al., 2024).
In Azerbaijan, the state applies different subsidies to sunflower farmers. The effect of subsidies on fertilizer and pesticide costs was determined as 28.5%, and on fuel and motor oils as 11.3% (Fikratzade, 2020).
Conclusions and Recommendations
As a result of the long-term scientific research conducted by scientists with sunflowers and our research, it became clear that the height of the main stems is not the same from the genotype, biological and morphological characteristics of the varieties. Sometimes, depending on the influence of natural factors, there is a certain difference in the height of the main stems. The implementation of all agro-technical measures designed for the cultivation of sunflowers in the optimal time has a positive effect on its development stages in all cases. Despite the provision of plant density to sunflower varieties, the unstable climate changes the development dynamics of the varieties. As a result of this study with sunflower, it was found that the productivity of all 3 varieties was different from the effect of applied agrotechnical measures. As a result of the experiments carried out in both years, the highest productivity was obtained in the Oreshka variety in the 70x25-1 sowing scheme, with a density of 47 thousand plants per hectare.
Acknowledgments
The Plant Protection and Technical Plant Research Institute provided technical support to this research. We thank the institution for its contributions.
Novelty Statement
To improve the productivity and quality of the plant, which has such a strategic importance, multi-disciplinary scientific research works are being conducted. The variety has a special role in improving the quality of the product. In recent times, farmers who plant sunflowers have a lot of difficulty in selecting varieties that give higher yields in the natural and climatic conditions of their farms.
Author’s Contribution
All authors contributed equally to the article. The results obtained in the study were interpreted together and all authors read and checked the article.
Conflicts of interest
The authors have declared no conflict of interest.
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