P3 Sunflower Trial Near Hoopstad

Hannelie Tait, Pannar's representative in the Hoopstad area, shares an update on her P3 sunflower trial near Hoopstad. Hannelie says it was interesting to see how the hybrids differed with regards to their flowering dates, as clearly depicted in this trial.

This clip features the following hybrids: PAN 7170, PAN 7080, PAN 7102CLP and PAN 7160CLP – this is also the order in which they should flower. Plant and flower dates are one of the options that can be used to help manage the risk of Sclerotinia infection.

PAN 7080 and PAN 7160CLP are both hybrids that maintain a particularly good record of performance. PAN 7170 is a new conventional hybrid, while PAN 7180CLP was introduced to the market last year. PAN 7170 is agronomically similar to PAN 7100 but is quicker to flower. Both hybrids are slightly quicker than PAN 7080, which means that the hybrids complement each other in a package and thus help to better manage the risk of possible Sclerotinia infection. Although PAN 7170 flowers slightly earlier, its grain filling period is slightly longer than that of PAN 7100, which is beneficial for PAN 7170's yield potential and oil content. When planting later in the season, PAN 7170 is a very good choice. PAN 7170 has better Alternaria tolerance than the other two conventional hybrids.

PAN 7180CLP is the Clearfield^® Plus version of the well-known PAN 7080, which means that it has the same genetics and the same yield performance as PAN 7080. PAN 7180CLP has some agronomic improvements in terms of Alternaria and even Sclerotinia. Significantly fewer Sclerotinia problems were experienced on the parental lines of PAN 7180CLP. Together with PAN 7102CLP and PAN 7160CLP, these three hybrids form a package that can better manage the risk of potential Sclerotinia infection. In the Clearfield^® Plus package, PAN 7102CLP flowers first over a short period (10 days), PAN 7160CLP flowers second, but flowers over a much longer period (up to 18-21 days) and PAN 7180CLP flowers over a short period, providing optimal Sclerotinia management. The number of days to physiological maturity is also in the same order, as set out for the flowering dates. This means that the hybrids' harvest time is spread over a slightly longer period.