Abstract:
The exact date of introduction of sunflower (Helianthas annus L) in Uganda is not known though records have it that it is an indigenous N. American crop possibly brought in by
missionaries as one of the experimental crops in Uganda in the 1920s and 1930s (Rita LakerOjok, 1986). Although by the 1960s it was widely grown in many parts of the country, the
National Sunflower Programme was not launched until 1988. Prior to 1991, no improved
varieties were widely available and no variety had ever been presented to the release committee
for consideration. Previously Ugandan farmers depended on land races and scanty imports of seeds from neighboring counties.