Sunflower
Sunflower cultivation in Khulna: Salinity no longer a barrier
Salinization of soil is a serious problem in the coastal areas of Bangladesh as it has adverse effects on crop production. Despite the challenge, farmers in Khulna’s coastal areas have shown success in cultivating sunflower in fallow saline land.
New possibilities have been created to meet the demand for high-quality sunflower oil. Farmers are also expecting bumper yields at low cost.
Research is underway on sunflower cultivation in the Robi season in the Salinity Management and Research Center of Batiaghata Upazila of Khulna under the Gopalganj-Khulna-Bagerhat-Satkhira-Pirojpur Agriculture Development Project (SRDI Organ).
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Sunflower seeds have been sown in wet soil here by the ‘dibbling method’ after harvesting Aman paddy in mid-November. Then the roots of the seedlings were tied and fertilizer was applied.
Three varieties have been used in the study- Local, Bari Suryamukhi-2, and Haisan-33. Of these, the yield of Haisan-33 variety has been good.
According to the chief scientific officer of the Center for Salinity Management and Research, sunflower is the salinity-tolerant crop. As a result, there is huge potential for sunflower cultivation in coastal areas.
Also read: Khulna farmers strike gold with sunflower
Vast tracts of land remain unused in the south, after harvesting Aman paddy. It is difficult to grow any other crop easily as there is salinity in the soil and water. By cultivating sunflower through the dibbling method, the fallow land will come under cultivation.
3 years ago