Sunflower SARATOVSKIY 20

The sunflower variety Saratovskiy 20 was created at the Southern East Agricultural Research Institute and is an ultra-early, high-oil variety that matures in 78-83 days under Saratov conditions. The plants are medium-leafy, with a sturdy stem 130-150 cm high, and have thin, flat, regular-shaped heads 20-24 cm in diameter. The seeds are comparatively large, oval-elongated, dark with gray stripes, with a 1000-seed weight varying from 59 to 72 g. The variety is characterized by high plasticity, morphological uniformity of plants and simultaneous passage of vegetative phases. Saratovskiy 20 is characterized by high oil content of seeds – from 48 to 51%, fat content in seeds 51.5-53.5%, hull content 20-24% and natural weight 410-420 g. The protein content in seeds is 20-21%. Yield of oilseeds in competitive trials from 2000-2003 years on average reached 23.4 c/ha, under favorable moisture conditions yield can reach 35 c/ha. Oil collection can be up to 7.2 c/ha. The variety is resistant to dodder (races A-E), moderately susceptible to phoma, susceptible to downy mildew and white rot. Saratovskiy 20 is distinguished by high resistance to lodging and shattering, as well as high drought resistance and tolerance to overcrowding. It stably yields with good quality of oilseeds in various soil-and-climatic conditions and at the northern boundary of sunflower spread in Russia. Thanks to its technological qualities and adaptability the variety is well suited for growing in the Middle-Volga, Lower-Volga and Ural regions, providing high productivity even in unfavorable years.