For decades, INTA has worked on sunflower cultivation, addressing productive aspects such as crop management guides and the development and evaluation of hybrids adapted to different environments, as well as health aspects like assessing varieties for their resistance to diseases and pests. Quality improvement has also been a focus. Health management, however, cannot be treated in isolation: factors such as hybrid selection, planting density, and fertilization strategies influence canopy structure, leaf growth rate, and soil coverage.
At the Aapresid Congress, held at the La Rural Fairgrounds from August 6 to 8, INTA specialists Marina Montoya — Plant Pathology Group IPADS, INTA Balcarce — and Carolina Troglia — head of the Rural Extension Agency INTA Balcarce and coordinator of the INTA Southern Network–ASAGIR — took part in the panel “Designing the Yield: Integrated Strategies to Enhance Sunflower Production.” They emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach to yield design, with plant health as a key factor in sustaining productivity.
“One of the key aspects is the correct characterization of the productive environment, which includes knowing the history of the lot, the previous rotations, the presence of weeds (including guachos sunflowers) hosting pathogens that affect the crop and the optimal sowing dates,” Montoya said.
From this foundation, growers can select hybrids and management strategies that maximize efficiency while avoiding conditions that could favor disease. Preventive health measures are essential—chief among them is choosing hybrids with partial or complete genetic resistance, specifically adapted to the target environments, according to a press release.
“To this must be added seed treatments, early sowing, planned rotations, permanent monitoring and control of host weeds. The interaction between genetics, environment and agronomic management will define the expression of the yield potential and the health of the crop,” Montoya added.
Selecting a hybrid suited to the target environment is a cornerstone of sunflower production. Each season, INTA supports growers with data from the National Network of Sunflower Hybrids, collected across multiple sites in the producing region through its agreement with the Argentine Sunflower Association (ASAGIR).
“Thanks to this network, productive, health and quality information is available on the market. From different INTA research groups, together with other institutions, associations and companies, this tool is accompanied by advances in various aspects such as knowledge of soil fertility, fertilization, genetic improvement – traditional and assisted with molecular tools -, the monitoring of health problems and development of management guidelines – genetic, chemical, biological -. Likewise, the permanent dissemination to the producer of the available tools and in development,” Troglia explained.
Weather data from the 2024/25 season show that sunflower crops experienced contrasting conditions across regions. In the north, center, southwest, and southeast, recorded precipitation and average temperatures during vegetative and reproductive stages explain the diseases observed—though none reached concerning levels of incidence or severity.
Looking ahead to 2025/26, forecasts point to continued high thermal variability and elevated relative humidity during critical growth stages in all producing regions.
Troglia pointed out that “these conditions may represent a risk of end-of-cycle foliar diseases and/or stem and chapter rot, so it will be key to anticipate with adjusted management strategies.”
Under the theme “We Program the Future of Agriculture,” the Argentine Association of Producers in Direct Sowing (Aapresid) held its 2025 Congress from August 6 to 8 at La Rural in Palermo.
For more than three decades, the Aapresid Congress has connected innovation, technology, and knowledge to advance increasingly sustainable production systems. Each year, it brings together leading national and international experts to share insights and discuss forward-looking topics shaping agriculture.
The 33rd edition was organized around seven thematic areas: Learning by Producing, Global Challenges, Innovation and AgTech, Pest Management, Integrated Systems, Sustainable Production Systems, and Sociopolitical Perspectives.
