Sunflower Varieties and Hybrids Registered for Cultivation in Romania in the Last Century

Abstract Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is one of the most important oil crop in the world with a harvested area in 2016 which was 3.9 times more than in 1961. The almost continuous increase of the harvested area at world level is due to the sunflower crop advantages for the farmers and to the increased yielding capacity and oil content in the seeds, all these associated with an increased demand on the market for the sunflower oil. The high yielding capacity associated with high oil content in the seeds is due to the remarkable achievements realized through the breeding programs performed at sunflower crop in the last century. These achievements are related especially to the creation of the high-yielding F1 hybrids with excellent performances. The aim of the present paper is to make an analysis and to give an insight into the situation, evolution, and historical milestones regarding the sunflower varieties and hybrids registered for cultivation in Romania in the last century. In this respect, there were analyzed different informational sources during the last century with respect to the sunflower crop in Romania, but especially the whole collection of the Romanian Official Catalogues of the Varieties of Plant Species. The official journey in Romania of the sunflower as an oil crop started in 1910 and has registered up to present a spectacularly evolution both in terms of cultivated area and varieties and hybrids cultivated.