Morphological Characterization of Ornamental Sunflower Based on DUS Descriptors
Payal Sahu *
Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, Mahatma Gandhi Udyaniki Evam Vaniki Vishwavidyalaya, Durg, Chhattisgarh, 491111, India.
Bharti Sao
Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, Mahatma Gandhi Udyaniki Evam Vaniki Vishwavidyalaya, Durg, Chhattisgarh, 491111, India.
Rajeshwari Sahu
Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, Mahatma Gandhi Udyaniki Evam Vaniki Vishwavidyalaya, Durg, Chhattisgarh, 491111, India.
Jaya Chandrakar
Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, Mahatma Gandhi Udyaniki Evam Vaniki Vishwavidyalaya, Durg, Chhattisgarh, 491111, India.
Richa Sao
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Mahatma Gandhi Udyaniki Evam Vaniki Vishwavidyalaya, Durg, Chhattisgarh, 491111, India.
Anita Kerketta
Department of Vegetable Science, Mahatma Gandhi Udyaniki Evam Vaniki Vishwavidyalaya, Durg, Chhattisgarh, 491111, India.
Parminder S. Saini
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Krishak Nagar, Raipur, Chhattisgarh 492012, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Ornamental sunflower cultivars require clear morphological description for cultivar identification and distinctness, uniformity, and stability assessment. This study characterised Helianthus annuus L. cv. Vincent’s 2 Choice during 2024–25 and 2025–26 at the Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Horticulture and Research Station, Mahatma Gandhi University of Horticulture and Forestry, Durg, Chhattisgarh, India. Thirty-one morphological traits were evaluated using DUS descriptors. The cultivar exhibited medium hypocotyl anthocyanin pigmentation and early flowering, with 50% flowering occurring before 60 days. Vegetative characters included small, cordate, light-green leaves, erect leaf orientation, medium serration, and stem pigmentation. Floral observations showed few yellow ovate ray florets, yellow disc florets and pollen, elongated bracts, and absence of anthocyanin pigmentation in the disc-floret stigma and bracts. At maturity, the plants were very short and branched overall, with small, inclined flower heads having a convex grain-side profile. Seeds were short and elongated, with a 100-seed weight of 4.6 g and a grey striped seed coat. The combined vegetative, floral, plant-architecture, and seed descriptors provided a morphological profile of Vincent’s 2 Choice under the agro-climatic conditions of Chhattisgarh. Evaluation across two consecutive seasons supported assessment of the observed descriptor states within the study environment. The resulting DUS-based description may assist cultivar identification, germplasm documentation, breeding use, conservation, and varietal registration.
Keywords: Helianthus annuus, DUS descriptors, morphological characterisation, cultivar identification, floral traits, vegetative traits, seed traits, plant architecture, distinctness, uniformity and stability