Clearfield® Sunflower growing technology – world history and domestic experience

Abstract

The article summarizes the modern world and domestic experience of growing sunflowers using the Clearfield® technology, analyzes the emergence and development of this technology in historical retrospect, outlines the advantages and disadvantages in comparison with the classic intensive technology of crop cultivation. Particular attention is paid to the technological aspects and production criteria of the effective use of herbicides of the Euro-Lightning and Euro-Lightning Plus group through the prism of resource conservation and safety for the environment. It was concluded that the most serious limiting biotic factor for obtaining stable yields of sunflower seeds in all agrozones of Ukraine are weeds, and to obtain a high and high-quality crop, it is necessary that the field 3-4 decades after sowing (before the start of intensive formation of above-ground sunflower biomass) was clear of weeds. The effectiveness of herbicide treatments under classical cultivation technology directly depends on weather conditions, and a positive effect from their application is guaranteed only if the soil contains a sufficient amount of moisture. In addition, modern soil and insurance herbicides are ineffective for the destruction of certain perennial and parasitic botanical species. In Ukraine, the Clearfield® technology was registered in 2008 and is implemented in production conditions due to the combination of two main components: the herbicide Euro-Lightning, produced by the BASF company, and high-yielding sunflower hybrids obtained by the method of traditional selection and resistant to this drug. The optimal time of application of the drug is the phase of the fourth true leaves on the sunflower plant, and a mandatory condition is the compatibility of the hybrid suitable for the Clearfield® system, which must be guaranteed by the supplier of seed material. If we talk about the use of herbicide in relation to the stage of weeds, then the optimal time will be active growth in the initial phase of their development. This phase basically corresponds to the sunflower development phase of 4-6 true leaves.