The Australian sunflower market is largely High Oleic (HO)(>85% Oleic Acid) Oil type with a small amount of Linoleic (polyunsaturated) and birdseed sunflower sown. Only the HO market is attractive as a breeding investment target, because of its dominance, even though the total area is less than 70,000 hectares.
Investment in breeding for Australian conditions has declined and is now limited to Pacific Seeds, Nuseed and HSR. It is a catch 22 situation because as sunflower area reduces, it is less desirable to breed for local conditions, unless it is anticipated that an increase in the area sown will make it profitable longer term to justify local breeding.
In the last 15 years additional challenges to sunflower production have arisen. Australian Sunflower cropping has moved from grower programmed planting to more opportunistic sowing e.g. double crop after wheat. This has also occurred in other countries such as the USA and Argentina where sunflower is now grown in more marginal cropping areas, replaced in many of the traditional areas by Round-up Ready (RR) Soybean and to a lesser extent Canola.
Weed resistance to Glyphosate herbicide is now an increasingly pressing issue in these areas and also in Australia where Glyphosate is the main chemistry used to control fallow weeds.
There are two herbicide tolerances based on five distinct gene combinations available in Sunflower varieties overseas. Some of these could be deployed in Australia and if successful, would go part way to addressing the sunflower “weed management” issue.
A number of diseases have been identified as yield limiting with Phomopsis and Sclerotinia having the potential to cause serious yield loss. There is now a high level of resistance to Phomopsis and a moderate level of resistance to Sclerotinia identified which could be available for incorporation into hybrids.