Which is the best sunflower variety to grow in Kenya

In this post, we will give you a list of sunflower seed varieties available to grow in Kenya. Sunflower farming in Kenya is one of the most profitable ventures. Since the crop grows well in areas where maize and beans are grown, it’s a major alternative crop to diversify your farming.

As a cash crop it can earn you more profits since sunflower seeds have many uses a raw material in;

• Food processing to make cooking oils
• Manufacturing animal feeds
• Making soap and other cosmetics

According to the KEPHIS national variety there are 27 sunflower seed types in Kenya. They include hybrid or F1 cultivars and the indigenous types. We will give you the top 10 seeds which has been released to the market since 2010.

How to choose the best sunflower seeds for your farm

To make money in commercial sunflower farming, you need to grow a variety that has a high yield and oil content. Besides, the crop has to be fast maturing given the frequent droughts in sunflower growing areas such as Bungoma, Kakamega and Meru counties. Other factors to consider in your seed selection include the variety’s tolerance to drought, diseases and other sunflower pests.

Best Sunflower seed varieties in Kenya

The table below is a comparison of the most popular sunflower seeds in Kenya.  The table below discusses these varieties in brief.

PAN 7031

The PAN 7031 sunflower seed variety is marketed by the Pannar Seed Ltd.  It does best in an altitude of 900-2200 Masl. Its key features are.

• Maturity period; 3-4 months
• Yield Potential; 1.5-2 t/ha
• oil content; 45%
• Wide adaptability
• Very uniform
• Excellent standability

PAN 7033

The PAN 7031 is a 2010 sunflower seed from the Pannar Seed Ltd. The crop is to be grown in areas between 1000-2400 m asl. It has a high oil content at 41 %. Other features of the sunflower seed variety are;

• Maturity period; 4-5 months
• Yield Potential; 2-3 t/ha
• oil content; 41%
• Resistant to common rust
• Good on downy mildew and sclerotinia
• Excellent standability

PAN 7034

• Good standability
• High oil content (43%)
• Excellent stability

PAN 7043

• Very uniform
• Very high oil content (47%)
• Excellent standability
• Good on sclerotinia

PAN 7351

• High oil content (41%)
• Widely adaptable
• Uniform and excellent standability therefore ideal for
• combine harvesting.

SY 4200

• High oil content
• Highly tolerant to sclerotinia
• Tolerant to downy mildew
• Resistant to black rust

SY 4045

• Tolerant to sclerotinia
• Tolerant to downy mildew
• Resistant to black rust

NL Adagio

• High oil content (47.3%)
• Good drought tolerance
• Tolerant to Sclerotinia wilt

NK Kondi

• Good homogeneity
• Very good oil content
• Low Susceptibity to Phoma, macrophoma & botrytis
• Resistant to Brome Rape race E

NK Delfi

• Good homogeneity
• Very good oil content
• Tolerant to promophosis
• Resistant to Brome Rape race E,F

NK Noema

• NK NEOMA is a conventional linoleic oil type with high quality oil content.
• It has a high Oil content of up to 55%
• Stability 8/9
• Drought resistance 7/9
• NK NEOMA is a CLEARFIELD hybrid tolerant to IMI herbicides.