Macrotrials as important factor in evaluation of agronomic traits of sunflower hybrids

Abstract

Conducting macrotrials is one of the essential elements in the quantification of sunflower hybrids’ agronomic traits. Therefore, the results of macrotrials at the Čepin site in the 2010-20 period were analyzed with an objective of sunflower hybrids’ grain yield, oil content, and fungicide effect evaluation. Seventeen seed companies participated in the trials, and the total number of hybrids during the study amounted to 439. The lowest number of hybrids was in the year 2010 (27) and the highest in the year 2018 (66). The average grain yield in the untreated variant amounted to 3.7 t ha-1 and 3.8 t ha-1in treated. The highest grain yield was achieved in the year 2017: 4.6 t ha-1 in the treated and 4.5 t ha-1 in the untreated variant, respectively. The highest individual grain yield per hybrid in the treated variant (i.e., 5.8 t ha-1) was achieved in the same year. The average oil content in the untreated variant amounted to 44.04% and to 44.69% in the treated variant. The highest oil content in the treated variant was achieved in 2011 and amounted to 46.73%, while it amounted to 45.78% in the untreated variant in 2012. The highest oil content per hybrid (50.08%) was that in 2012 in the treated variant. The most effective sunflower fungicide treatment was the one in 2019, when the grain yield increased by 0.54 t ha-1, whereas the oil content was increased by 0.78%. In sunflower production, the achieved grain yield, oil content, and fungicide effect largely depend on the year. The quality and timely applied agrotechnical measures, with a high level of expertise and procedural experience, are of great importance for the obtainment of high and stable grain yields and sunflower oil contents.