Sunflower Product Development

The mission of the Pioneer Sunflower Research program is to deliver top-performing hybrids that meet the needs of customers in key markets around the world. Sunflower research programs focus on the development of high yielding, stable hybrids with a balance of defensive traits.

The goals of the Pioneer Sunflower Research team are to:

Improve harvestable yield.
Shorten the product development cycle time while delivering top-performing hybrids.
Maintain a competitive oil advantage.
Incorporate cutting-edge technologies into product development.
Incorporate disease and pest resistance, as required, for low-risk production.
Lead the industry in the development of hybrids with value-added oil profiles (high oleic, mid-oleic).

The Pioneer Sunflower Research team develops high-yielding hybrids that meet the demands of producers and end-users. The focus is on development of products for the oilseeds market.

An integrated product development approach is used, combining traditional breeding, extensive field testing, and leading-edge genetic technologies to produce hybrids with superior production and food processing characteristics.

Highlights of Pioneer Sunflower Research:

Germplasm Enhancement - Expanding the elite sunflower germplasm base is key to meeting research goals. By tapping into the worldwide Pioneer gene pool and accessing germplasm from external sources, researchers are able to develop new hybrids with increased yield, improved disease and pest resistance, improved stress tolerance and better end-use characteristics for a wide range of maturities.

Extensive Testing - Extensive testing ensures that Pioneer offers high-performing products to consumers. Each year, Pioneer sunflower researchers plant more than 100,000 test plots to evaluate the yield potential of experimental products.

Improving Yield - Developing products with stable yield performance is a key goal. Researchers are dramatically increasing the number of hybrid combinations tested for yield. Improving agronomic traits such as emergence, root and stalk strength, seedling vigor and fast drydown also are emphasized. Expanded use of winter nurseries has accelerated the rate of product development and yield improvement.

Oil Content and Quality - Projects are aimed at improving the quality and quantity of oil derived from Pioneer® brand sunflower hybrids. High oil percentage brings added premiums to producers, while improved oil quality increases demand by end-users. Pioneer is in a leadership position in the development of high oleic sunflower hybrids that offer end-users an oil with superior processing characteristics. Pioneer also has significant market share in the key NuSun® market (mid-oleic hybrids) in North America.

Disease and Pest Resistance - Field and laboratory specialists work together to develop improved disease resistance using traditional breeding strategies and novel molecular genetic approaches. Products are being developed with resistance to Phoma, Sclerotinia, downy mildew, Alternaria and Phomopsis. Additional research is directed toward developing resistance to the parasitic weed, broomrape, which is a major problem in many regions of Europe.

Sunflower Research Locations by Region
Asia/Pacific Rim	1
Europe	5
North America	5
Mideast/Africa	1
Total	12

Pioneer® brand mid-oleic sunflower products bred for the NuSun® oil market. NuSun® is a registered certification mark of the National Sunflower Association.