EARLY MATURING 87

The Early Maturing 87 sunflower variety belongs to the ultra-early maturing group and is intended for obtaining high-quality oilseed raw material with a linoleic direction of use. It was created at the Southern-Eastern Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture (NIISKh South-East) based on hybrid material obtained from crossing the Stepny 81 variety and NA 89 line with ultra-early maturing lines selected from the Early Maturing variety. Plants are characterized by a sturdy stem 130-160 cm tall, medium foliage, and flat, correctly shaped heads with a diameter of 18-24 cm. Seeds are gray and dark gray, with 1000 seeds weighing 55-90 g, hullability of 20-24%, oil content of 48-52%, and protein content of 19-21%.

Early Maturing 87 is distinguished by high ecological plasticity and is adapted to a wide cultivation area, including regions of the East Kazakhstan region and several regions of Russia. Under conditions of Saratov, the variety matures in 83-85 days, which allows for early harvesting and obtaining oilseeds of conditioning moisture without additional drying. The variety yield is high - in competitive trials it averaged 28 c/ha with fluctuations from 23.8 to 34.5 c/ha, and oil collection reached 1300 kg/ha with fluctuations from 1000 to 1600 kg.

The variety is resistant to downy mildew, local races of dodder, and moths, which increases its reliability and reduces the risk of crop loss. Moreover, Early Maturing 87 provides a yield of large seed fraction (size over 3.6 mm) of over 50%, which is an important indicator for industrial processing and obtaining quality oil. Due to its characteristics and high productivity, this variety is one of the most in-demand among ultra-early maturing sunflowers.