Question

The oil content in sunflower is:

• A. 10-20%
• B. 20-35%
• C. 35-45%
• D. 45-60%

Hint:

Recall that this figure is for the whole seed, not the dehulled kernel, which runs higher.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

This question checks the known oil percentage range for sunflower seed, one of India's major oilseed crops.

1. 10-20%: This range is closer to a low oil crop like soybean, which has about 18 to 20 percent oil, and understates sunflower's true oil content by a wide margin.
2. 20-35%: This range is still lower than what is reported for sunflower seed in standard agronomy references.
3. 35-45%: This matches the oil content generally reported for whole sunflower seed (achene) in Indian agronomy texts, making it the crop's typical oil richness.
4. 45-60%: This higher range describes the oil content of the dehulled kernel rather than the whole seed, so it overstates the seed level figure asked for here.

Sunflower is prized as an oilseed crop precisely because its whole seed oil content of 35 to 45 percent is much higher than that of common pulses and several other oilseeds. A little variation exists between sources, but 35-45% is the range accepted for this question.

Let's summarize:

• Whole sunflower seed contains about 35 to 45 percent oil.
• The dehulled kernel alone has a higher oil percentage than the whole seed figure asked for here.

So the oil content in sunflower is 35-45%.