Are you looking for a cover crop that’s easy to grow, easy to germinate and not thirsty? The University of California’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources has a suggestion: sunflowers.

Safflower is the primary oilseed grown for oil in California, while sunflower hydrid seeds are grown and exported for oil production. Canola and camelina are showing promise as new oil seed crops

The sunflower species is also used as wild bird food, as livestock forage (either as a meal or a silage plant), in some industrial applications, and as an ornamental in domestic gardens.

How to grow: Sunflowers prefer full sun and rich, well-drained soil. They're tolerant of heat and drought. Plant the tall varieties 12 to 18 inches apart, dwarf varieties on 9-inch to 12-inch spacings. Pinch the central tip of bedding types for more branching.

Propagation: Sow seeds outdoors after final frost. Seeds germinate in 10 days to 20 days at 70 degrees to 85 degrees F. The dwarf kinds can be used in beds and borders, while the taller varieties are best at the back of the border.

Do you know that the Sacramento Valley produces about 25 percent of the world’s hybrid planting sunflower seeds? There are some 47,000 acres of the crop, valued at about $70 million.

The hybrid sunflower seed production industry is growing, sparked by demand for high quality seed and an increased worldwide interest in sunflower oil. In 2007, for example, the value of California’s sunflower seed crop totaled $22 million on 27,000 acres.

Fast forward to today, and there is a 70 percent increase in acreage and more than a threefold increase in value. Additionally, the industry reports millions of dollars in seed sales to markets around the world, including the Midwestern states, as well as the four largest producers of sunflower oil: Ukraine, Russia, European Union, and Argentina.

COVER CROPS ADVICE

The UC report comes as groups such as Project Apis m. are promoting the use of cover crops, either within rows between nut trees or in open buffer areas adjacent to orchards, which may be the better location when it comes to sunflowers. The practice can improve soil health and provide alternative forage that strengthens bee colonies, experts say.

While sunflowers most commonly bloom in the summer and early fall — right at the heart of almond harvest — there are some perennial varieties that provide blooms year-round.

The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is native to North America; t Native Americans prized it as an important, high-energy food source. Indeed, sunflower oil is a healthy choice — it is light in taste, supplies more vitamin E than any other vegetable oil, and delivers low levels of saturated fat. Sunflower oil is also stable at high cooking temperatures, rendering it favorable to the food processing industry.

Production of hybrid sunflower seeds involves planting male and female (male sterile) lines in the same fields, usually alternating with six rows of females and two rows of males. Males generally possess multiple flowers on a stalk, compared to the single composite female flower.

Honey bees, usually two colonies per acre, move pollen from male to female lines. Native solitary bees (especially sunflower bees) are also important in sunflower seed production, not only because of their pollination but because their presence increases honey bee activity, resulting in greater dispersement between male and female lines.

HYBRIDS MORE PRODUCTIVE

After pollination, when seeds are set, growers remove male rows to prevent contamination with female rows. After sunflower stalks naturally dry down, the hybrid planting seed is harvested, with yields averaging 1,400 pounds per acre and 40 percent to 45 percent oil content, depending on variety.

Compared to open pollinated varieties, hybrid planting seed from controlled crosses of male and female lines result in higher yields and oil content. The plants also display better disease resistance, a high degree of self-compatibility (reducing the need for bee cross-pollination), and more uniformity in height and moisture content at maturity, which facilitates harvest.

Sunflower seed production has few pest or disease problems. Sunflower head moth, a native caterpillar pest, can attack seed heads, as well as occasional flocks of birds (starlings, blackbirds, and finches), triggering yield and quality losses.