Phenotypic plasticity of essential fatty acid content in seeds of high-stearic sunflower lines under different growing conditions

Background. High-stearic sunflower is seen as an alternative to imported palm oil in the industrial production of solid vegetable fats. Wide phenotypic variability of fatty acid content in sunflower seeds under the influence of various growing conditions was described. In mutant high-stearic lines CAS-4 and CAS-8, a negative relationship between temperature and stearic acid content was observed. The objective was to study the phenotypic variability of essential fatty acid composition in the seeds of lines LG34, LG36 and LG37 with high content of stearic and oleic fatty acids under various environmental conditions and a hydroponic system.

Materials and methods. The study employed high-stearic and high-oleic lines LG34, LG36 and LG37 from the sunflower genetic collection of the Pustovoit Institute. They were grown in the field in 2023 and 2024, as well as in a hydroponic growth chamber for two seasons (2024 and 2025). Gas–liquid chromatography was used to analyze the composition of essential fatty acids in the oil of 10 individual achenes of the studied samples.

Results. Stearic acid content in the studied lines increased by 10.2–12.1%, and oleic acid content decreased by 16.6–16.8% in the hydroponic system, when compared to the field conditions. The level of palmitic acid was more stable, and its variability did not show such a pattern. ANOVA helped to reveal a significant effect of the year’s conditions on the level of all essential fatty acids. The highest share of the environmental effect was recorded for stearic and oleic acids: 85% and 67%, respectively. For stearic acid content, a strong negative correlation was found with the maximum and mean daily air temperatures (r = –0.94 and r = –0.85), and a strong positive one with the minimum temperature (r = 0.86).

Conclusion. An increase in stearic acid content and a decrease in oleic acid content in the oil of the seeds of high-stearic sunflower lines LG34, LG36, and LG37 was established for the hydroponic conditions.

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