College of Agriculture, Human

and Natural Sciences

Bioenergy
Sunflower for Biodiesel Production
Jason P. de Koff, Assistant Professor, Richard Link, Research Assistant, Tennessee State University
Contact: 615-963-4929, jdekoff@tnstate.edu, @TSUBioenergy

Sunflower is a seed crop made up of two distinct types; Types of Oilseed Sunflowers
confectionary and oilseed. The confectionary type is grown
for human consumption while the oilseed type can be used Oilseed sunflower seeds generally contain about 40% oil
and 20% protein. There are a few different types of oilseed
for birdseed, food-grade oil, or biodiesel production (Fig.1).
sunflower seeds that differ based on the type of oil they
contain.
1. Linoleic: used to be widespread for low-saturated fat
content (11% saturated fat).
2. NuSun or mid-oleic: predominant oilseed sunflower
currently grown (estimated at 85% to 90% of oilseed
sunflower acres grown in 2007), seeds contain less saturated
fat than linoleic types (<10% saturated fat).
Fig. 1. Confectionary sunflower seeds (left) usually have a 3. High oleic: low in saturated fats like NuSun, but higher
striped shell whereas oilseed sunflower seeds (right) usually monounsaturated fat content than NuSun (82% vs. 65%). It
have a black shell. is currently grown by contract based on consumer demand.

Current Production In general, a gallon of oil from one oilseed crop will produce
the same amount of biodiesel as a gallon of oil from a
According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics different oilseed crop. The difference lies in the quality of
Service, there were 1.6 million acres of oilseed sunflowers biodiesel produced. Oils high in unsaturated fats (NuSun
harvested in the U.S. in 2012. North Dakota currently has or High-oleic) may be best for biodiesel quality because
the most acres of oilseed sunflower in production (755,000 their chemical structures can help reduce coagulation in fuel
acres) (Table 1). Other states with high oilseed sunflower lines under cold temperatures. These sunflower oil varieties
production include South Dakota, Colorado, Kansas, generally contain about 91% unsaturated fats according to
California and Texas. the National Sunflower Association whereas soybean oil
contains about 85% unsaturated fats.
Table 1. Harvested acres of oilseed sunflower in 2012 (National
Agricultural Statistics Service).
State Oilseed Sunflowers Production Recommendations
(harvested acres) It is important to take soils tests prior to planting. University
California 47,500 of Tennessee recommendations are 90 to 105 lbs N per acre
Colorado 61,000 for typical yields of 1500 lbs seed per acre. Phosphorus and
potassium should be applied if soil tests are below medium
Kansas 65,000
values. Lime should be applied if pH is 6 or less.
Minnesota 37,000
It is recommended to plant once soil has reached 50°F. Based
Nebraska 29,500 on soil data from a National Climatic Data Center collection
North Dakota 755,000 site at UT Martin, this can occur between mid-March and
Oklahoma 3,800 mid-April. Seeds are generally planted at 1-2 inches depth
South Dakota 560,000 and at a rate that will produce 14,000-22,000 plants per
acre. Row spacing can be highly variable. At TSU we use
Texas 33,000 a 30 inch row spacing and 10 inch within row spacing. In
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early development, the heads track the sun so sunflowers are
planted in N to S rows so that the plants will lean into the
30 inch row spaces rather than into each other which could
cause seed loss.
Preplant or preemergent herbicides are recommended for
weed management as there are no herbicides registered
for control of broadleaf weeds in sunflower (one exception
is Clearfield® sunflowers which are resistant to imazamox
which can be used to control these broadleaf weeds).
Grass-type weeds can be managed once sunflowers have
germinated using herbicides containing clethodim or
sethoxydim. Broadleaf weeds can only be managed using
tillage between rows up to the 4-6 leaf stage.
Fig. 3. Sunflowers in the beginning stages of senescence at
Other pest problems may include fungi and insects. Tennessee State University AREC in Nashville.
Sunflowers are drought tolerant but wet periods may cause
Seeds are mature when the back of the flower head is
fungal issues. There are hybrids available with resistance
yellow, and when it is brown it can usually be harvested.
to certain fungi but crop rotation can also help avoid these
Seed should have 18-20% moisture or less when harvesting
problems. For insects, those that attack the seed or those
and a conventional grain combine with a sunflower head
that infest the vegetation during the early formation of the
attachment can be used.
bud (R1-R3 growth stages) are the most important to manage
using recommended integrated pest management techniques
because these may reduce yields. Insects that affect the Oil Yields
foliage prior to bud growth are usually not so extensive as to In a 4 year (2004-2007) field trial conducted by the University
have a significant effect on yield. of Tennessee, average yields were 1296 lbs seed per acre.
At 40% oil content this gives about 518 lbs oil per acre. In
comparison, a 5 year (2009-2013) field trial of soybeans also
Harvesting Seeds
conducted by the University of Tennessee observed an average
At the Tennessee State University Agricultural Research and yield of 2340 lbs seed per acre. Soybeans, however, have a
Education Center (AREC) in Nashville, NuSun and high- much lower oil content (~20%), and give an overall value of
oleic varieties of sunflowers bloomed about 8 to 9 weeks after 468 lbs oil per acre. In other words, sunflower production
planting (Fig. 2) and began to mature (senesce) around 10 to yields about 50 lbs more oil per acre than soybeans.
11 weeks after planting (Fig. 3). Sunflowers are usually fully
mature by 15 to 17 weeks after planting.
References and Resources
Allen, F.L., V.R. Sykes, R.C. Williams, Jr., A.T. McClure, H. Young-
Kelly, P. Donald. Soybean variety performance tests in Tennessee.
Available at: http://varietytrials.tennessee.edu/soybean.htm
McClure, M.A., F.L. Allen, R.D. Johnson, and L.G. Heatherly. 2010.
Sunflower: an alternative crop for Tennessee producers. University
of Tennessee Cooperative Extension Service, SP721. Available
at: https://utextension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/
SP721.pdf
National Sunflower Association. http://www.sunflowernsa.com/
Warrick, B.E. Sunflower Production Guide. Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension. Available at: http://sanangelo.tamu.edu/extension/
agronomy/agronomy-publications/sunflower-production-guide/
http://www.extension.org/pages/29605/sunflowers-for-biofuel-
Fig. 2. Sunflowers in bloom at Tennessee State University production#.UriGFbmx5dg
AREC in Nashville.
Dean - Dr. Chandra Reddy, Associate Dean for Extension - Dr. Latif Lighari

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