Open pollination under isolation is the common method of varietal seed production.
Varieties of seeds include: CO 1, CO 2, Morden, K1, K 2, EC 68414, EC 68415

Stages of seed multiplication
Sunflower seed is multiplied by adopting three generation system, as breeder seed, foundation seed and certified seed as the crop is often cross pollinated crop where the chances for genetic contamination is high.

Varietal renovation method

• In open pollinated variety, selection of superior plants are made based on the quality characters viz., plant yield, 100 seed weight and oil content
• The selected plants are harvested separately
• Then they are raised in rows individually
• Seeds from promising plants are collected and this form the super-elite seeds

Seed and sowing

• For production of foundation seed, breeder seed is used as the base material, while for certified seed, foundation seed should be used as the base material
• The seed used should be from authenticated source with tag and bill
• The required seed rate will be 8-10kg /ha or 3-4kg/ acre. (Morden 80kg/ha)
• The seeds are sown at a spacing of 30 x10 cm for the variety morden and at a spacing of 60x20 cm for other varieties and are dibbled at a depth of 2-4cm.
• In the main field seeds are sown either in ridges and furrows or under beds and channels.

Presowing seed treatment

• The seeds are given with any one of the seed treatment or in combination. Fresh seeds of sunflower exhibit physiological dormancy which could be broken by soaking the seeds in 300ppm ethrel for 8h or 0.5% KNO3 for 16h. Moist hydration of seed with water for 24h followed by dry dressing with thiram @2g kg-1 of seed improved the productivity of the seed.
• Seeds are soaked in 2% ZnSO4 for 12h with a seed to solution ratio of 1:0.06 and are dried back to their original moisture content of 8-9%. This management could be used both for dryland agriculture as well as gardenland.
• As an ecofriendly treatrment seeds are also fortified or hardened with 1% moringa leaf extract for 16h with a seed to solution ratio of 1:0.06 and are dried back to their original moisture content of 8-9%.
• Seeds are dry dressed with bavistin @2g/kg of seed to protect against seed borne pathogens and soil borne pathogen. Seeds are also treated with azospirillum @50g/kg of seed to fix atmospheric N.
• Any one of these treatment or combination of treatment is adopted for better productivity. On adoption of sequence of treatment physiological should be followed with physical seed treatment.