Sunflower (Helianthus annuusL.) is one of the most important and valuable oil crops in this world. It ranks the 4^th oil seed plants, preceded by soybean, oil palm and rapeseed plant 1,2. Botanically, it is a native plant of North America. The plant belongs to order Asterales, family Asteraceae and genus Helianthus3. It is classified as annual or perennial plant. Some species can grow to a height of 120 in. The stem is unbranched in domesticated cultivars, but branched in the upper part in wild plants. The plant has erect stem with broadleaf. Leaves are dentate, petiolated. The lower leaves are opposite and ovate. The plants bear one head with bright yellow ray florets at the outside and yellow disc florets inside. Some ornamental cultivars  have red-colored ray florets 4. During the growth, sunflowers tilt during the day to face the sun, but stop once they begin blooming. This phenomenon enables the plant to utilize more sunlight in the process of photosynthesis, and it called heliotropism5. 

The seeds contain of excellent quality and high oil content (40-50%), high unsaturated fatty acid concentration, low linolenic acid content, and 30% digestible protein6. They have several uses, among these, human use; like cocking oil, snack food, beside baking uses(granola bars, multigrain breads). Sunflower seedmeal is used asfeed for livestock (green fodder and silage). Other uses like paints, adhesives lubricants, soap manufacture, plastics and detergents, biofuel production etc. However, few species have other economic importance such as medical source and ornamentals7.

Sunflower has broad adaptation to different edaphoclimatic zones. It gained more importance because of its unique oil quality, photo-insensitivity, tolerant to both low and high temperatures, short duration of maturity, can be grown year around, and the possibility of incorporating the crop in different cropping patterns. Therefore it is grown over much broader geographic regions, in the arid and semi arid regions under optimum temperature ranging from 23 to 28 °C. 8 and it performs better under drought conditions compared to other field crops9.

To obtain high yield potential, the crop requires a good crop husbandry in terms of adequate water, nutrient supply; weed control and pest/diseases management throughout the growing period 10.

The crop has a big, branched and extensive root system which enables to utilize nutrients with high efficiency compared with other field crops like Maize and Sorghum 11.

Sunflower is considered one of the promising oil crops in Sudan. It is well suited to Sudan environmental conditions. It is grown as winter crop under irrigated conditions, and as summer crop under rain-fed 12.

To attain maximum yield, the crop requires fertilizers. Synthetic fertilizers are widely used, with less attention to organic fertilizers. However, today more attention is paid to organic fertilizers as a remedy to cure the ills of the chemical fertilizers in the face of dramatic and substantially increase prices of the chemical fertilizers. However, it is reported that application of organic fertilizer in Sunflower production has increased both sunflower oil quality and yield attributes 13, therefore; it became necessary to develop a workable, compatible package of nutrient management through organic sources for various crops, capable of providing all the essential minerals to promote crop growth and development 13.

In Sudan; most if not all Sunflower growers use synthetic fertilizers in crop production for a long time. For the above quoted reason farmers began to look for alternative sources of fertilizers; among which a herb plant called Argel which had been traditionally in use in different parts of Sudan since.

Argel (Solenostemmaargel) is a herb plant14; which is locally known as Hargal (Arabic). The plant has many uses; ranging from medicinal to fertilizer and pesticides. Nevertheless, tradition farmers in some parts of Sudan use Argel as pest replants, curing illness and sometimes as fertilizer. Despite the great importance; Argel is not given the necessary care as fertilizer except in the field of horticulture, specifically the palm date tree.

Sunflower yield differs according to cultivars, prevailed climate condition and adopted cultural practices. During the season 2015/2016 the world total production was about 39.19 million metric tons, with an average yield of 1.7 metric tons/ha obtained from an area of 23.06 million hectares 15, compared to the domestic productivity of 222 kg/Fed 16. It is clear that there is a gap between the local and world average yield, but, recently the yield improved due to the application of new technologies. However, the major producing countries are Ukraine, Russia, European Union, Argentina Turkey, United States, India and China, accounting for 70% of global production 14, while the major exporting countries are the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR), United States of America (USA), and Argentina are the biggest exporting countries 15.

According to Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, the other producing countries are Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Syria, Morocco and Iraq with the latest having the largest cultivated area of about 5,975,000 ha. producing 89,000 metric ton17.

During the period from 1980's to 199's Sudan has witnessed a leap in Sunflower production, when Sunflower hybrid cultivars; the Hysun-33 and PAN-7351 were introduced from Australia and South Africa 18,19, beside the release of two open pollinated varieties namely; Bolero and Rodio under the names Damazin-1 and Damazin-2, respectively20. The crop gained ground, and was grown in the central clay plain under large scale ran-fed farming, and limited areas in irrigated schemes. But its expansion was confronted with several production constraints21.

It is reported that Sunflower was introduced to Gezira Research Station-Wad Medani -Sudan in 1932, then the research was extended to other research stations in 1960s. The commercial production of Sunflower began in late 1980’s and the early 1990’s following the introduction of hybridscultivars 18,19. It began in Blue Nile State El Damazin area, which considered as the highest potential for growing sunflower under mechanized rain-fed farming due the good amount of rainfall, and vast arable fertile cultivable land. This experience was pioneered by EL Sheik Mustafa El Amin Company. Then it expanded from Blue Nile to other rain-fed areas like Gedarif and El Renk 14. The crop also grown under irrigation sector in ALRahad, Al Gezeria, Sennar and El Gash, Blue Nile and White Nile Pumps Irrigation Schemes. The highest yield (621 Kg/fed.) was obtained during 2011/2012. Unfortunately, due to financial and political reasons, the productivity deteriorated and the area declined to 57000 fed14.

Moreover, in Sudan, the hybrid varieties such as Hysun 33 and Pioneer were reported to perform better than the open pollinated as far as yield concern. Therefore, hybrid cultivars were widely grown in Sudan due to seed availability in the market; representing 90% of the cultivating area by Sunflower22. It is reported that, there are many cultivars in the world; but they differ in their seed characteristics, oil content, plant height, and maturity date23.