Yield Gains in Sunflower.

Sunflower is a relatively new crop to North America, with production beginning in earnest in the 1970s in the USA. There have been many challenges to production, including agronomic issues such as seed placement and herbicide systems adequate for weed control, disease issues caused by many different pathogens, insect infestation caused by several, mainly seed-based insect pests, and even predation by blackbirds.  Genetics-based solutions have been provided in the forms of herbicide resistance systems, vertical resistance to downy mildew and sunflower rust, and to some extent, quantitatively inherited Sclerotinia resistance.  The possibility of a genetic solution to sunflower insect issues has been considered and is the topic of current research. Genetic gain in sunflower has been judged more by the ability of the plant to overcome these problems via genetic means (by defending existing yield gains) than by improving yield itself. Employing modern genomic tools now and in the future should allow breeders to spend less time breeding defensive traits and more time concentrating on making yield gains in target environments.  However, this will probably need to be accomplished without the use of transgenic modification, as GM lines will likely face difficult hurdles in regulatory and market acceptance.