Sunflower Crop Quality 2020/21 – Summary Of Results.pdf

Main Findings:

Grade FH1 Dominance: 83% (131 out of 157) of samples were graded as Grade FH1, consistent with previous seasons.
Foreign Matter and Collectives Deviations: 6% of samples exceeded the maximum permissible deviation for screenings, 4% for foreign matter, and 2% for collective deviations.
Poisonous Seeds: 31% of samples contained poisonous seeds, primarily Datura sp. (7 samples) and Ipomoea purpurea (1 sample).
Sclerotia Reduction: A significant decrease in sunflower samples containing Sclerotinia sclerotiorum sclerota (from 71% to 22%) was observed compared to the previous two seasons.
Test Weight: The national average test weight of 40.7 kg/hl is the lowest since the 2015/16 season.
Nutritional Content:
Crude protein: 15.02% (lowest average in nine recorded seasons).
Crude fat: 39.5% (highest since 2014/15).
Crude fibre: 21.8% (slightly lower than the previous season).
Ash: 2.53% (second lowest in nine seasons).

Provincial Variations:

The Free State reported the highest average screenings (2.03%) and test weight (41.1 kg/hl), while Mpumalanga had the lowest screening average (1.36%) and Limpopo the lowest test weight (42.6 kg/hl).
North West had the highest crude fat content (39.7%) and Limpopo the highest crude fibre content (24%).

Key Tables:

Table 3: Approximation of test weight per province over three seasons.
Table 4: Comparison between sunflower crop quality and ARC Grain Crops cultivar trial results for moisture, crude protein, and crude fat.