What is the necessity of revival and development of sunflower cultivation?

Man's excessive use of fossil fuels and the increase of greenhouse gases have led to climate changes in the world, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. The consequences of these changes in these areas include warming of the air, decrease in precipitation, increase in carbon dioxide and other things that have created new conditions. Agricultural management and especially crop rotation in different regions needs to review and adjust the programs every year to match the new conditions. In desert provinces, lack of water is considered as the main limiting factor in the agricultural sector. Therefore, it is very important to use crops that are resistant or tolerant to drought and salinity, which have high water consumption efficiency, short growth period, and wide planting time spectrum due to fluctuations in the availability of irrigation water.

sunflower silage

Although sunflowers are commonly grown for seed production, they can also be used as a forage source for livestock. About one-third is the dry matter of the sunflower plant, so large amounts of potential forage are not used when grown for seed only. Stressed or low-yielding sunflowers can be profitable if used as a forage source for livestock. As a suitable alternative in drought conditions, sunflower forage is usually fed as silage and can be a valuable option.