Cultivation of the sunflower is becoming increasingly more significant both in the domestic and international markets, mainly due to the possibility of using the oil for the production of biodiesel. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effects of spatial arrangements of the plants on the vegetative characteristics and productivity of achenes in the Embrapa 122 variety of sunflower at two cultivation sites. The experiments were carried out in the Experimental Area of the Department of Plant Science on the Pici Campus in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, and the on the Vale do Curu Experimental Farm at Pentecost, Ceará, Brazil. Sixteen treatments were evaluated made up of combinations of four row spacings (0.30, 0.50, 0.70 and 0. m) and four planting densities (30,000, 45,000, 60,000 and 75,000 plants ha-1) and divided into four randomised blocks. For the vegetative characteristics, the stalk diameter, stem length, leaf number, leaf area and leaf area index were all determined. At the end of the crop cycle the production of achenes was also evaluated. The experiments were analysed jointly in relation to the cultivation site, the data undergoing variance analysis, and the quantitative factors tested by regression using the F-test (p <0.05) to check the fit of the models. The factors studied do not interact on vegetative behaviour and productivity at the same time, the cultivation site being predominant. Intraspecific competition affects the vegetative behaviour of the sunflower. For spatial management of the crop, line spacing may affect productivity of sunflower achenes, depending on the cultivation site.
Helianthus annuus; Spacing; Density
