ANBAR JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

Abstract

The experiment was conducted at the laboratory of seed technology, Dept. of Field Crop Sci., College of Agriculture, University of Baghdad during the year 2012. The aim was to determine the effect of capitulum diameter (smaller than 15, 16-20 ,21-25, 26-30, 31-35 and bigger than 36 cm) resulted from different plant populations, and seed position at the capitulum (peripheral, middle and central) on seed quality of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) cv. Shumoos. An increase in capitalum diameter from bigger than 36cm gave the highest averages of seed weight (137.2 mg), kernel weight (85.0 mg) and content of seeds protein ( 16.83% ). while this seeds gave the lowest value of content seeds carbohydrates and oil ( 15.36% and 25.54 %), respectively. The seeds capitalum diameter from smaller than 15cm gave the highest averages of seeds carbohydrates content. But it was same time showed the lowest average of seed weight, kernel weight, ratio of hull to seed and seeds protein content . Seeds were located at peripheral position showed superiorty in seed weight ( 116.4 mg ), kernel weight ( 70.6 mg ) and seeds protein content ( 16.70 % ) . We can conclude that the tested characters of seeds varied depending on capitalumand seed position, that does not only effect phenotypic characters, but also influence chemical content of the seeds even per capitalum.