,Effects of Planting Date and Irrigation on Wax Content of Sunflower-Seed Oil

Seed from sunflower grown at Bushland, TX, in 1980 and 1981 and at Florence, SC, in 1982 were evaluated for the influence of date of planting and irrigation on wax production. Wax content of the hull and oil was found to be ca. 10% lower in samples from irrigated than from nonirrigated sunflowers; however, none of the sunflower planted on different dates were under severe moisture stress from bloom to harvest. Although the highest positive correlation was found between the linoleic acid content of the oil and the wax content of the hull, those factors that favored high oil percentage also favored low wax content.