Between 2020 and 2025, the sunflower cultivated area in Romania consistently exceeded 1 million hectares, representing a significant share of the total area at the European Union level. Despite maintaining its leading position in both cultivated area and overall production, output levels were notably constrained by recurrent drought conditions.In recent years, sunflower production in Romania has been characterized by substantial variability in seed yield, mainly driven by increasing climate instability, particularly the frequency and intensity of droughts and extreme heat during critical phenophases such as flowering and seed filling. In 2020, 2022, 2024, and 2025, yields consistently fell below both optimal levels and the five-year average, highlighting the strong impact of repeated drought and heat stress. In contrast, more favorable climatic conditions in 2021 and 2023 revealed the crop’s high productive potential, underlining the key role of precipitation in shaping yield performance.Overall, yield variability is closely linked to rainfall distribution, with essential phenological stages, especially flowering and seed development, being highly sensitive to water deficit. In 2024, the sunflower hybrid FD15E27, developed by NARDI Fundulea, recorded its lowest yield of the 2020–2025 period (2295 kg/ha), followed by 2025 with 2637 kg/ha. The highest average yield for this hybrid was achieved in 2022, reaching 3991 kg/ha.

sunflower, drought, seed yield

agronomy

Presentation: poster