First “made-in-Manitoba” confection sunflower hybrid now available to farmers

Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) is proud to announce that for the first time ever, a confection sunflower hybrid bred specifically for Manitoba growing conditions is now available to farmers.

MCA 359 is the first commercialized variety produced by MCA’s confection sunflower breeding program.

“Sunflowers are an integral part of Manitoba’s agricultural landscape and farmers need access to new genetics to ensure the crop remains a competitive option for their rotations,” says MCA chair Jonothan Hodson.

“A confection sunflower hybrid designed to thrive in our climate and our soils is a made-in-Manitoba success story and a great example of the tangible return on investment MCA is providing to farmers for their check-off dollars.”

MCA 359 is high yielding and early maturing, with excellent standability. It has resistance to downy mildew and rust and is 100 per cent tolerant to Express®, a Group 2 herbicide for broadleaf weed control. It also has many traits that are attractive to end-users in the confection sunflower market, including large seed size, high nut meat percentage, dark colouring and great flavour.

MCA 359 was included in MCA’s Sunflower Variety Performance trials in each of the last three growing seasons (as EX 359239 in 2023 and MCA 359239 in 2024), with the results published on the MCA website and in Seed Manitoba.