Natural Variants in Sunflower with Incurved Involucre for Breeding Strains Resistant to Bird Damage

A number of exotic sunflower varieties are being introduced into India for trial as an oil-seed crop. In view of the low seed yield due to insufficient pollination and extensive bird damage the farmers are reluctant to grow this new crop. A natural variant is described which relates to the character of in-volucral bracts of the inflorescence. Breeding of sunflower variants with fully incurved bracts, covering the mature disc, may help in its protection from bird damage.