MARTIN GROSS is a mid-season sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) variety primarily intended for confectionery use. The plant is tall, unbranched, with medium-sized green leaves and yellow ligulate flowers of an elongated-oval shape. The sunflower head is downward-facing and has a curved stem. The seeds are broadly oval in shape, with a black base color and distinct marginal stripes. The 1000-seed mass varies from 75.6 to 88.8 grams depending on the growing region, indicating the variety’s large seed size. The MARTIN GROSS variety is recommended for cultivation in various regions of Russia, including the Central Black Earth, North Caucasus, Lower Volga, and Ural regions. The vegetation period is approximately 114–119 days. The variety has high and stable yield: in the Central Black Earth region, average yield reaches 26.9 centners per hectare, maximum — 41.9 centners per hectare; in the North Caucasus region, average yield — 24.4 centners per hectare, maximum — 44.4 centners per hectare. Oil content in the seeds ranges from 42% to 49.6%, ensuring high oil extraction efficiency. The seed shattering coefficient is 0.95, kernel protein content is approximately 20%, and the husk content is 28%. MARTIN GROSS exhibits good resistance to diseases, including false powdery mildew and downy mildew (races A–E), and moderate resistance to gray mold. In field conditions, the variety is lightly affected by dry rot, moderately affected by gray rot and rust, making it a reliable choice for agricultural production. Due to its characteristics and adaptability to various climatic conditions, this sunflower variety is widely used in the agricultural sector to obtain high-quality raw material with high oil content.
