Evaluation of Agronomic Performance and Seed Oil Composition of 15 Sunflower Genotypes in South Madagascar

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is one of the world's most important oilseed crops together with oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) and rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) (USDA, 2016). Despite the 8.5% of world sunflower cul-tivation is found in Africa (FAOSTAT, 2016), just few studies on oil seed performances and their chemical composition were carried out in tropical countries [1] [2], thus reducing the knowledge on the adaptability and performances of this crop in humid areas. In this study the agronomic performance, environmental adaptability, oilseed production and fatty acid composition of 15 sunflower varieties cultivated in two underexploited areas of the Plateau de l’Horombe in southern Madagascar were evaluated. Results of this study indicated that: i) sunflower has well performed in sub-arid localities thanks to its adaptability to harsh conditions, with similar performances to those obtained in other worldwide countries; ii) the well-structured and fertile soil resulted to be the key driver of sunflower performances; iii) the most productive hybrids between the sites were PR63D82 (conventional typology) and Klarika for yield and oil content, respectively; iv) the oleic/linoleic ratio of both HO and conventional sunflowers was influenced by changes in temperature. the consumption of healthy vegetable oils compared to those currently used in Madagascar.