Sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) is a photo insensitive, highly cross pollinated crop due to protandrus condition of stamens, and pollination by honey bees. The principal states of sunflower cultivation in India are Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu which are regarded as traditional areas. Sunflower has the potential to be introduced on a large scale during rainfed kharif and rabi, summer under irrigation in most of the states. Wide genetic variation is required in breeding for major agronomically important traits like seed yield, oil yield and composition, flowering...