sunflower of bangladesh

Sunflower (Suryamukhi)  annual or perennial herb, Helianthus annuus, of the family Asteraceae. The flower heads, having yellow rays, sometimes reach 30 cm. The seeds are used as poultry feed and as the source of edible oil. It can be used as a substitute of groundnut oil in the preparation of Vanaspati, the vegetable ghee.

Nutritionally, it is better than many other cooking media and is especially useful for heart patients, because it does not raise the cholesterol level in blood. It contains proteins, vitamins 'A', 'D' and 'E'. The decorticated pressed cake is used as food for livestock

The cultivated sunflower probably originated in Mexico. In Bangladesh, it was first introduced as a garden plant, but in the 1980s some dwarf varieties were introduced to cultivate as oil seed crop. The plant is now being cultivated as kharif and rabi crop in some central and northern districts. The yield is about 760 kg per hectare. It takes about 90-110 days for harvesting. [Mostafa Kamal Pasha]

Oil Plant any of several plants, the seeds of which yield oil. The edible oil-producing plants constitute the second major agricultural crop in Bangladesh, next to the food grain. Vegetable or plant oils are usually classified into two major groups depending on their behaviour of heating: volatile or essential oils, and non-volatile or fatty oils. Volatile oils are produced from different aromatic plant species, belonging to different plant families mainly Lauraceae, Myrtaceae, Umbelliferae, Labiatae, Compositae, etc.

Most of the volatile oils are used for manufacturing perfume and other scented items. Non-volatile or fatty oils are consumed and used by human beings in different ways. Fatty oils are stored up, often in large amount, in seeds (40-60%) and to a less extent in fruits, tubers, stems, leaves, and in other organs.
Fatty oils are produced from many plant species belonging to different families mainly Brassicaceae (Cruciferae), Asteraceae (Compositae), Fabaceae (Leguminosea), Euphorbiaceae, Pedaliaceae, Arecaceae (Palmae), etc. A list of major and minor oil producing plants is given in Tables 1 and 2.

The national estimates of acreages and production of major oil seeds during 1997-98 are shown in Table 3.

Although widely cultivated in different districts of the country, the annual production of oil seeds is far below the domestic need. [Md. Mahfuzur Rahman]

Pests Rapeseed-mustard, Brassica species, sesame, Sesamum indicum, and groundnut, Arachis hypogea are the major oilseed crops grown in Bangladesh. Among the minor oilseed crops, sunflower, Helianthus annuus, safflower Carthamus tinctorius, lineseed Linum usitatissimum, and soybean, Glycine max are important. Several dozens of insect pests reportedly attack these oilseed crops (Table 4), but only a few of them are of economic importance.

Table 1 Large oil producing plants

English name	Bangla name	Botanical name	Family	Growing season/ plant type	Traditional and commercial uses	Area of use
Mustard	Sarisa	Brassica species (Several species and varieties)	Brassicaceae	Annual, Rabi- crop, Herb	Main edible oil for cooking, a medium for preserving pickles, used for head and body massage, this oil mixed with camphor is effective in removing muscular rheumatism; oil cake used as cattle feed and manure.	All over Bangladesh
Sesame	Til	Sesamum indicum	Pedaliaceae	Annual, Rabi & Kharif crop, Herb	Edible used as substitute of olive oil, hair oil, lubricant, and for soap; oil cake used as cattle feed and manure.	All over Bangladesh mainly in Pabna, Khulna, Faridpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka
Linseed	Tisi	Linum usitatissimum	Linaceae	Annual, Rabi crop, Herb	Extensively used for preparing paints, varnishes, painting ink etc, also used as edible oil; oil cake is used as cattle feed.	Kushtia, Jessore, Pabna, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Tangail
Groundnut/ Peanut	Cheena- badam	Arachis hypogea	Fabaceae	Annual, Rabi & Kharif crop, Herb	Used as edible oil, and for making margarine, peanut butter, ghee etc, traditionally eaten as fried 'badam', oil cake is also used as cattle feed and manure.	All over Bangladesh
Sun-flower	Suryamukhi	Helianthus annuus	Asteraceae	Annual, Ornamental Herb	Edible oil for cooking, used in producing soap, margarine, paints and varnishes; oil cake is used as cattle feed.	All over Bangladesh mainly in Noakhali and Rajshahi
Soybean	Soyabean	Glycine max	Fabaceae	Annual, Herb	Extensively used in Bangladesh as edible oil for cooking, mature oil seeds are used for preparing many food items, like, Soyadal, Soyakhicuri, Soyasalad, Soyabread, Soyabiscuit, Soyamargrarine etc, also used for preparing soap, paints, printing inks, cosmetics etc.	All over Bangladesh
Coconut	Narikel/Dab	Cocos nucifera	Arecaceae	Perennial, Palmtree	Refined oil is edible and used for cooking, for making various food, like, candy bars, margarine and confectionaries; a popular hair oil, also used as base oil for producing cosmetics.	All over Bangladesh, mostly in the coastal areas

Table 2 Minor oil producing plants

English name	Bangla name	Botanical name	Family	Growing season/ plant type	Traditional and commercial uses	Area of use
Niger-seed	Garjantil/1	Guizotia abyssinica	Asteraceae (Compositae)	Annual, Rabi-crop, Her	Edible oil, used in painting and soap making, oil cake is also used as cattle feed and manure.	In most areas of Bangladesh, mainly in Jamalpur, Magura, Comilla and Tangail
Castor/ Castor bean	Bherenda/	Ricinus communis	Euphorbiaceae	Perenial, Large shrub or small tree	Used mainly as lubricant and purgative, also for preparing hair oil, hair fixed, hair lotion, perfume, soap, varnishes, phenyl. Also for preserving leather and as an illuminant. It is not edible and should not be used as cattle feed.	All over Bangladesh
Safflower	Kusumphul	Carthamum tinctorius	Asteraceae (Compositae)	Annual, Herb	Used as edible oil for cooking, for preparing soap, paints, varnishes and also used as an illuminant.	In different parts of Bangladesh
Lemon grass	Lemonghas, Gandhatrina	Cymbopogon citratus	Poaceae (Gram)	Perennial grass	Perfuming soaps, cosmetics etc.

Table 3 The major oil producing crops, area of cultivation and annual production

Name of crop	Area (ha)	Production (tons)	Principal growing areas
Mustard and rape	3,43,630	2,53,640	Tangail, Jessore, Comilla, Sylhet, Faridpur, Sirajganj, Pabna, Rajshahi
Sesame	79,654	49,030	Faridpur, Rangamati, Barisal, Comilla, Pabna, Mymensingh, Bandarban, Sirajganj
Groundnut	34,715	39,540	Noakhali, Dhaka, Faridpur, Mymensingh, Rangpur, Kishoreganj
Linseed	69,820	50,425	Barisal, Jessore, Faridpur, Kushtia, Pabna.
Coconut	32,092	89,320	Noakhali, Barisal, Chittagong, Comilla, Dhaka, Faridpur, Khulna, Patuakhali, Jessore

Table 4 The common pests affecting oilseed crops

Common name	Scientific name	Family and Order	Nature of injury	Status
Mustard
Mustard aphid	Lipaphis erysimi	Aphididae: Homoptera	Adults and nymphs suck sap from leaves and pods	Major
Sawfly	Athelia proxima lugens	Tenthredinidae: Hymenoptera	Larvae feed on leaves	Occasional
Butterfly	Delias eucharis	Pieridae: Lepidoptera	Larvae feed on leaves	Minor
Leaf caterpillar	Crocidolomia binotalis	Pyralidae: Lepidoptera	Larvae feed on leaves, bore the pod and make webs	Occasional
Sesame
Til pod bug	Eysarcoris ventralis	Pentatomidae: Hemiptera	Adults and nymphs suck sap from leaves and pods	Major
Til hawk moth	Acherontia styx	Sphingidae: Lepidopter	Larvae feed on leaves	Major
Leaf and pod caterpillar	Antigastra catalaunalis	Pyralidae: Lepidoptera	Larvae feed on leaves	Major
Jute hairy caterpillar	Spilosoma obliqua	Arctiidae: Lepidoptera	Larvae feed on leaves	Major
Mirid bug	Cyrtopeltis (=Nesidiocoris) species	Miridae: Hemiptera	dults and nymphs suck sap from leaves and make the leaves perforated	Major
Groundnut
Leaf beetle	Oxycetonia versicolor	Cetoniidae: Coleoptera	Adults feed on leaves	Minor
Leaf roller	Anarsia ephippias	Gelechiidae: Lepidoptera	Larvae roll leaves	Minor
Jassid	Amrasca devastans	Cicadellidae: Homoptera	Adults and nymphs suck sap from leaves	Minor
Jute hairy caterpillar	Spilosoma obliqua	Arctiidae: Lepidoptera	Larvae feed on leaves	Potential
Cut worm	Agrotis ipsilon	Noctuidae: Lepidoptera	Larvae cut plants at ground level	Potential
Aphids	Aphis craccivora	Aphididae: Homoptera	Adults and nymphs suck sap from leaves and shoots	Minor
Termites	Odontotermes species		Bores plant under soil	Potential
	Microtermes species			Potential
	Odontotermes obesus	Termitidae: Isoptera		Potential
Groundnut thrips	Haplothrips indicus	Phlaeothripidae: Thysanoptera	Adults and immature suck sap from leaves and flowers	Minor
Soybean
Soybean bug	Nezara viridula	Pentatomidae: Hemiptera	Adults and nymphs suck sap	Minor
Jute hairy caterpillar	Spilosoma obliqua	Arctiidae: Lepidoptera	Larvae feed on leaves	Major
Lablab bug	Coptosoma cribraria	Pentatomidae: Hemiptera	Adult and young suck sap from plants	Minor
Mealy bug	Pseudococcus filamentosus	Pseudococcidae: Hemiptera	Adult and young suck sap from leaves and shoots	Minor
Soybean caterpillar	Anarsia ephippias	Gelechiidae: Lepidoptera	Larvae feed on leaves	Major
Leaf roller	Hedylepta (=Lamprosema) indicata	Pyralidae: Lepidoptera	Caterpillars roll leaves	Minor
Leaf miner	Aproaerema (=Stomopteryx) species	Gelechiidae: Lepidoptera	Larvae mine in leaves	Major
Soybean stemfly	Ophiomyia phaseoli	Agromyzidae: Diptera	Larvae bore young seedlings	Major
Whitefly	Bemisia tabaci	Aleyrodidae: Homoptera	Adults and nymphs suck sap from leaves	Minor
Flea beetle	Monolepta signata	Chrysomelidae : Coleoptera	Adults and larvae feed on leaves	Minor
Sunflower
Jute hairy caterpillar	Spilosoma obliqua	Arctiidae: Lepidoptera	Larvae feed on leaves	Minor
Flea beetle	Monolepta signata	Chrysomelidae: Coleoptera	Adults and larvae feed on leaves	Minor
Whitefly	Bemisia tabaci	Aleyrodidae: Homoptera	Adults and nymphs suck sap from leaves	Minor
Safflower
Flea beetle	Monolepta signata	Chrysomelidae: Coleoptera	Adults feed on leaves	Minor
Stem borer	Melanogromyza species	Agromyzidae: Lepidoptera	Larvae bore into stems	Major
Aphid	Macrosiphum species	Aphididae: Homoptera	Adults and nymphs suck sap from leaves and pods	Minor
Niger
Flea beetle	Monolepta signata	Chrysomelidae: Coleoptera	Adults and young feed on leaves	Minor
Aphid	Macrosiphum species	Aphididae: Homoptera	Adults and nymphs suck sap from leaves and stems	Minor
Linseed
Linseed gall midge	Dasineura lini	Cecidomyiidae: Diptera	Larvae bore into pods	Minor
Prodenia caterpillar	Spodoptera litur	Noctuidae: Lepidoptera	Larvae feed on leaves	Minor
Cut worm	Agrotis ipsilon	Noctuidae: Lepidoptera	Larvae cut plants at the base	Minor

Of all the pests infesting the oil seed crops mustard aphid, L. erysimi and Til hawk moth, A. styx under favourable conditions cause heavy damage to the growing crops. [M Ibrahim Ali]

Diseases Some common diseases of oilseed crops are mentioned below:

Mustard White rust caused by the fungus Albugo candida is a common disease that affects the aerial part of the plant. Lesions are visible on the leaves and stem as white or creamy-yellow small spots. Usually, leaf spots appear on the lower surface; in severe infection they are found on both surfaces.

Alternaria leaf spot or blight caused by Alternaria brassicae and A. bracissicola is one of the most widespread and serious diseases of mustard prevalent in different areas of Bangladesh. The round leaf spots produced initially are small. Soon the spots enlarge and may attain a size of about one cm in diameter. Usually lower leaves are affected.

Groundnut Tikka disease, caused by two fungal pathogens, Cercospora personata and C. arachidicola, is a major groundnut disease in Bangladesh. Both the pathogens producing spots may occur on the same leaf but may show some difference in symptoms. The leaf spots produced by C. personata are circular, about 3-8 mm in diameter, and appear at late growth stages. The lesions are usually dark brown to black and appear on both the surfaces of the leaf. On the other hand, leaf spots produced by C. arachidicola usually appear at the early growth stage of the plant and are characterized by a brown-red, irregularly circular spot with a yellow halo. Spots produced by either pathogen may be found on leaflets, petioles and stems. High relative humidity, temperature, and close planting favour the development of the disease.

Southern blight of groundnut caused by Sclerotium rolfsii is a common disease throughout the world. The fungus is responsible for light brown decay at the basal region of the plants with characteristic presence of whitish and cottony growth of the fungal mycelium intermingled with mustard seed like sclerotia.

Minor diseases of groundnuts include the mosaic (caused by virus), seed rot (caused by Aspergillus species, Rhizopus species, Penicillium species, etc), stem rot (caused by Rhizoctonia solani), rust (caused by Puccinia arachidis), and root-knot caused by the nematode, Meloidogyne arenaria.

Soybean Anthracnose, a major disease of soybean is caused by Colletotrichum dematium var. truncata. Symptoms are usually evident during the pod setting to maturation stages of growth. Any aerial parts of the plant, including pods and pedicles, are susceptible to the pathogen. Symptoms include grayish to reddish brown blotches. The fungus is seed borne.

Pod and stem blight of soybean is caused by Phomopsis sojai. Any aerial part and roots are susceptible to the disease. Symptoms on the stems and pods appear as pimple-like spore bearing pycnidia on the surface.

Brown spot of soybean caused by Septoria glycines usually causes brown, angular, or to some extent circular leaf spots with yellow halo surrounding each. The spots may coalesce to cover larger areas resulting in premature fall of the leaves. Stem, pods and seeds may also be affected.

Flax (Linseed) Rust is a very common disease of linseed. The pathogen, Melamspora lini causes bright orange coloured uredosori on any aerial part of the plant. With the advancement of the disease, the colour of the sori turns black. The leaves may die prematurely. Fusarium oxysporum is responsible for root rot, damping off, or wilt at any stage of plant growth. Brown streaks of mycelium may develop, clogging the vascular tissue of the stem.
[Abul Khair]