Conventional and Molecular Breeding for Sunflower Nutrition Quality Improvement

Abstract

Sunflower is the fourth most important oil plant worldwide and the second most important oil crop in Europe, along with rapeseed. Due to its high content of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as vitamin E, sunflower oil is the preferred type of oil in human nutrition in Europe. That is why, as opposed to other different vegetable oils, circa 90% of the total sunflower oil produced is used for food, while 10% is exploited for biodiesel production and other industrial purposes. In human nutrition, sunflower oil is used for cooking, frying, and preparing salads, while in industry, it is used in the frying process and for margarine production. Maintaining secure and sustainable sunflower production is, therefore, of utmost importance. Sunflower breeding led to a significant increase in oil content and change in oil composition, thus increasing both oil quantity and quality. Nowadays, different biotechnological techniques are used to accelerate the creation of superior sunflower genotypes that will be productive in climate changing environments and still be of high quality. The conventional and molecular methods used in sunflower breeding for improved nutrition quality will be addressed in this chapter.