MEETING OF THE COORDINATION AND METHODOLOGICAL COUNCIL ON SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM 16 "SUNFLOWER: BASICS OF PRODUCTION PROCESS MANAGEMENT"

On November 26, 2024, an online meeting of the Coordinating and Methodological Council of Scientific Program (SP) 16 "Sunflower: Basics of Production Process Management" of NAAS was held (the main institution is the Yuriev Plant Production Institute of NAAS).  Supervisors and principle investigators of the projects within SP 16 from 8 NAAS institutions were present, a total of 14 participants. The meeting was opened by the SP Head, NAAS Academician, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor Viktor Vasyliovych Kyrychenko.

At the meeting, a report "Spread of Sunflower Broomrape in Ukraine, Threats and Methods of Control" was presented by K.M. Makliak. She speaker emphasized the extreme harmfulness of this plant-parasite of sunflower, the importance of permanent adhering to a strategy of preventive, health-improving and protective measures, the implementation of a general policy to control the broomrape spread, and the need for constant development of breeding for resistance because of continuous co-evolution of sunflower hybrids and broomrape races.

The participants of the meeting discussed, clarified and approved the 2024 reports: a total of 11 reports; 3 of them were fundamental study reports and 8 were applied study reports. The practical outcomes of the work were the submission of drought-tolerant NuSun oil hybrid ‘IR Sonet’ to the state variety trials; registration of nine new lines with valuable economic traits (early ripeness, resistance to broomrape) with the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources of Ukraine; development of a method for complex application of microfertilizers to increase the yields of parental components of sunflower hybrids; improvement of methods of application of biologicals, growth activators, fertilizers, and microfertilizers for growing sunflower in the Right-Bank, Left-Bank and western forest-steppe as well as under rainfed conditions of the steppe zone of Ukraine.