Sunflower Seed Problems

Weed Pressure

• Sunflower plants suffer from heavy weed pressure that surrounds the plant and robs it of vital nutrients. This problem is most prevalent in the sunflower crops of the former Soviet Union, Argentina and Eastern Europe, where weed control has been an issue since the mid 1990s. The main types of weeds that are a problem are broomrape and Canada thistle, although the exact weeds vary slightly from place to place. These weeds kill sunflower plants by absorbing water meant for the flowers, shading them from the sun and overcrowding the soil, which means that the seeds never get a chance to develop. Researchers at Kansas State University found that the weeds can be better controlled when sunflowers are planted in "paired rows" or about 12 inches apart instead of the usual 30.

Insects

• When insects attack a sunflower plant, they do more damage than simply eating away at the leaves or stem of the plant itself. Insects also attack the seeds inside the plant, which reduces the number of seeds left to harvest and reduces the quality of the remaining seeds. When growers see that insects have damaged a plant, they are forced to reclassify the seeds of that particular plant as birdseed-quality instead of food fit for humans. Birdseed sells at a reduced rate and loses money for the growers. Insects also damage the root of the plant, causing fewer seeds to grow in the first place. As of the year 2000, the U.S. sunflower crop was the most heavily hit by insects, causing the biggest loss among sunflower-producing countries.

Small Size

• Sunflower seeds enjoy limited popularity in the U.S., making the growing industry for sunflower seeds relatively small. However, each type of crop requires specialized care, specific planting and harvesting dates and a regular watering schedule, so farmers are required to exert much effort to grow these plants. Growers are less inclined to exert effort to grow a small crop than one that is in high demand and will yield more profit.

Low Yield

• Since sunflower plants face so many problems, and it is a small crop to begin with, growers are also faced with low sunflower seed yield. Each time a plant is hit with a problem, its growth is stunted and not as many seeds are produced. The low yield that sunflower growers face in terms of edible seeds is one more reason that it is challenging to grow this plant.