Yesterday we were in Goldsboro, with the team at Cherry Research Station planting an organic sunflower variety trial. This study will be evaluating six different commercially available high-oleic sunflower varieties at two planting dates. This study will also be comparing each variety's susceptibility to sunflower moths under organic management.

Sunflower moths are a migratory pest native to North America that can cause significant losses in commercial sunflower production through damage to sunflower heads and resulting secondary infections such as Rhizopus.

We look forward to seeing if certain varieties show greater resistance to sunflower moths and the impact of planting date on variety performance.

We will soon be sharing a save-the-date for our Organic Field Day this summer! We look forward to seeing you there and discussing more of NC State's organic commodity crop research.