Abstract:
According to the invention, there is provided a hybrid sunflower plant, designated as 63A51, produced by crossing two Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. proprietary inbred sunflower lines. This invention relates to the hybrid seed 63A51, the hybrid plant produced from the seed, and variants, mutants, and trivial modifications of hybrid 63A51.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is in the field of sunflower breeding, specifically relating to a hybrid sunflower line designated 63A51. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Plant Breeding 
     Field crops are bred through techniques that take advantage of the plant&#39;s method of pollination. A plant is self-pollinated if pollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower of the same plant. A plant is cross-pollinated if the pollen comes from a flower on a different plant. 
     Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type for many generations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce a uniform population of true breeding progeny. A cross between two different homozygous lines produces a uniform population of hybrid plants that may be heterozygous for many gene loci. A cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number of gene loci will produce a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically and will not be uniform. 
     Sunflower (Heliathus annuus L.), can be bred by both self-pollination and cross-pollination techniques. The sunflower head (inflorescence) usually is composed of about 1,000 to 2,000 individual disk flowers joined to a common base (receptacle). The flowers around the circumference are ligulate ray flowers with neither stamens nor pistil. The remaining flowers are hermaphroditic and protandrous disk flowers. 
     Natural pollination of sunflower occurs when flowering starts with the appearance of a tube partly exerted from the sympetalous corolla. The tube is formed by the five syngenesious anthers, and pollen is released on the inner surface of the tube. The style lengthens rapidly and forces the stigma through the tube. The two lobes of the stigma open outward and are receptive to pollen but out of reach of their own pollen initially. Although this largely prevents self-pollination of individual flowers, flowers are exposed to pollen from other flowers on the same head by insects, wind, and gravity. 
     The development of a hybrid sunflower variety involves three steps: (1) the selection of plants from various germplasm pools for initial breeding crosses; (2) the selfing of the selected plants from the breeding crosses for several generations to produce a series of inbred lines, which, although different from each other, breed true and are highly uniform; and (3) crossing the selected inbred lines with unrelated inbred lines to produce the hybrid progeny (F 1 ). During the inbreeding process in sunflower, the vigor of the lines decreases. Vigor is restored when two different inbred lines are crossed to produce the hybrid progeny (F 1 ). An important consequence of the homozygosity and homogeneity of the inbred lines is that the hybrid created by crossing a defined pair of inbreds will always be the same. Once the inbreds that create a superior hybrid have been identified, a continual supply of the hybrid seed can be produced using these inbred parents and the hybrid corn plants can then be generated from this hybrid seed supply. 
     Large scale commercial sunflower hybrid production, as it is practiced today, requires the use of some form of male sterility system which controls or inactivates male fertility. A reliable method of controlling male fertility in plants also offers the opportunity for improved plant breeding. This is especially true for development of sunflower hybrids, which relies upon some sort of male sterility system. Two types of male sterility, genetic and cytoplasmic, have been found in sunflower. 
     Hybrid sunflower seed is typically produced by a male sterility system incorporating genetic or cytoplasmic male-sterile (CMS) inbreds. Plants of a CMS inbred are male sterile as a result of factors resulting from the cytoplasmic, as opposed to the nuclear, genome. Thus, this characteristic is inherited exclusively through the female parent in sunflower plants, since only the female provides cytoplasm to the fertilized seed. CMS plants are fertilized with pollen from another inbred that is not male-sterile. Pollen from the second inbred may or may not contribute genes that make the hybrid plants male-fertile. 
     There are several methods of conferring genetic male sterility available, such as multiple mutant genes at separate locations within the genome that confer male sterility, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,654,465 and 4,727,219 to Brar et al. and chromosomal translocations as described by Patterson in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,861,709 and 3,710,511. These and all patents referred to are incorporated by reference. In addition to these methods, Albertsen et al., of Pioneer Hi-Bred, U.S. patent application No. 07/848,433, have developed a system of nuclear male sterility which includes: identifying a gene which is critical to male fertility; silencing this native gene which is critical to male fertility; removing the native promoter from the essential male fertility gene and replacing it with an inducible promoter; inserting this genetically engineered gene back into the plant; and thus creating a plant that is male sterile because the inducible promoter is not &#34;on&#34; resulting in the male fertility gene not being transcribed. Fertility is restored by inducing, or turning &#34;on&#34;, the promoter, which in turn allows the gene that confers male fertility to be transcribed. 
     There are many other methods of conferring genetic male sterility in the art, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. These methods use a variety of approaches such as delivering into the plant a gene encoding a cytotoxic substance associated with a male tissue specific promoter or an antisense system in which a gene critical to fertility is identified and an antisense to that gene is inserted in the plant (see: Fabinjanski, et al. EPO 89/3010153.8 publication no. 329,308 and PCT application PCT/CA90/000037 published as WO 90/08828) 
     The use of male sterile inbreds is but one factor in the production of sunflower hybrids. The development of sunflower hybrids requires, in general, the development of homozygous inbred lines, the crossing of these lines, and the evaluation of the crosses. Breeding programs combine the genetic backgrounds from two or more inbred lines or various other broad-based sources into breeding pools from which new inbred lines are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes. The new inbreds are crossed with other inbred lines and the hybrids from these crosses are evaluated to determine which of those have commercial potential. 
     There are many important factors to be considered in the art of plant breeding, such as the ability to recognize important morphological and physiological characteristics, the ability to design evaluation techniques for genotypic and phenotypic traits of interest, and the ability to search out and exploit the genes for the desired traits in new or improved combinations. 
     The objective of commercial sunflower hybrid line development programs is to develop new inbred lines to produce hybrids that combine to produce high yields and superior agronomic performance. The primary trait breeders seek is yield. However, many other major agronomic traits are of importance in hybrid combination and have an impact on yield or otherwise provide superior performance in hybrid combinations. Major objectives in sunflower breeding include improved seed yield, earlier maturity, shorter plant height, uniformity of plant type, and disease and insect resistance. In addition, the lines per se must have acceptable performance for parental traits such as seed yields and pollen production, all of which affect ability to provide parental lines in sufficient quantity and quality for hybridization. These traits have been shown to be under genetic control and many if not all of the traits are affected by multiple genes. 
     Pedigree Breeding 
     The pedigree method of breeding is the mostly widely used methodology for new hybrid line development. 
     In general terms this procedure consists of crossing two inbred lines to produce the non-segregating F 1  generation, and self pollination of the F 1  generation to produce the F 2  generation that segregates for all factors for which the inbred parents differ. An example of this process is set forth below. Variations of this generalized pedigree method are used, but all these variations produce a segregating generation which contains a range of variation for the traits of interest. 
    
    
     EXAMPLE 1 
     Hypothetical example of pedigree breeding program 
     Consider a cross between two inbred lines that differ for alleles at six loci. The parental genotypes are: 
     Parent1 AbCdeF/AbCdeF 
     Parent2 aBcDEf/aBcDEf 
     the F 1  from a cross between these two parents is: 
     F 1  AbCdeF/aBcDEf 
     Selfing F 1  will produce an F 2  generation including the following genotypes: 
     ABcDEf/abCdeF 
     ABcDef/abCdEF 
     ABcDef/abCdeF 
     The number of genotypes in the F 2  is 3 6  for six segregating loci (729) and will produce (2 6 )-2 possible new inbreds, (62 for six segregating loci). 
     Each inbred parent which is used in breeding crosses represents a unique combination of genes, and the combined effects of the genes define the performance of the inbred and its performance in hybrid combination. Thereis published evidence (Smith, O. S., J. S. C. Smith, S. L. Bowen, R. A. Tenborg and S. J. Wall, TAG 80:833-840 (1990)) that each of the lines are different and can be uniquely identified on the basis of genetically-controlled molecular markers. 
     It has been shown that most traits of economic value in sunflower are underthe genetic control of multiple genetic loci, and that there are a large number of unique combinations of these genes present in elite sunflower germplasm. If not, genetic progress using elite inbred lines would no longer be possible. Studies by Duvick and Russell (Duvick, D. N., Maydica 37:69-79, (1992); Russell, W. A., Maydica XXIX:375-390 (1983)) have shown that over the last 50 years the rate of genetic progress in commercial hybrids has been between one and two percent per year. 
     The number of genes affecting the trait of primary economic importance in sunflower yield, has been estimated to be in the range of 10-1000(?). Inbred lines which are used as parents for breeding crosses differ in the number and combination of these genes. These factors make the plant breeder&#39;s task more difficult. Compounding this is evidence that no one line contains the favorable allele at all loci, and that different alleleshave different economic values depending on the genetic background and field environment in which the hybrid is grown. Fifty years of breeding experience suggests that there are many genes affecting yield and each of these has a relatively small effect on this trait. The effects are small compared to breeders&#39; ability to measure yield differences in evaluation trials. Therefore, the parents of the breeding cross must differ at several of these loci so that the genetic differences in the progeny will be large enough that breeders can develop a line that increases the economic worth of its hybrids over that of hybrids made with either parent. 
     If the number of loci segregating in a cross between two inbred lines is n,the number of unique genotypes in the F 2  generation is 3 n  and thenumber of unique inbred lines from this cross is {(2 n )-2}. Only a verylimited number of these combinations are useful. Only about 1 in 10,000 of the progeny from F 2  &#39;s are commercially useful. 
     By way of example, if it is assumed that the number of segregating loci in F 2  is somewhere between 20 and 50, and that each parent is fixed for half the favorable alleles, it is then possible to calculate the approximate probabilities of finding an inbred that has the favorable allele at {(n/2)+m} loci, where n/2 is the number of favorable alleles in each of the parents and m is the number of additional favorable alleles inthe new inbred. See Example 2 below. The number m is assumed to be greater than three because each allele has so small an effect that evaluation techniques are not sensitive enough to detect differences due to three or less favorable alleles. The probabilities in Example 2 are on the order of10 -5  or smaller and they are the probabilities that at least one genotype with (n/2)=m favorable alleles will exist. 
     To put this in perspective, the number of plants grown on 60 million acres at 25,000 plants/acre is 1.5×10 12 . 
     EXAMPLE 2 
     Probability of finding an inbred with m of n favorable alleles 
     Assume each parent has n/2 of the favorable alleles and only 1/2 of the combinations of loci are economically useful. 
     
         ______________________________________   No. of   favorableNo. of  alleles in             No. additionalsegregating   Parents   favorable alleles in                           Probability thatloci (n)   (n/2)     new inbred    genotype occurs*______________________________________20      10        14            3 × 10.sup.-524      12        16            2 × 10.sup.-528      14        18            1 × 10.sup.-532      16        20            8 × 10.sup.-636      18        22            5 × 10.sup.-640      20        24            3 × 10.sup.-644      22        26            2 × 10.sup.-648      24        28            1 × 10.sup.-6______________________________________*Probability that a useful combination exists, does not include the probability of identifying this combination if it does exist. 
    
     The possibility of having a usably high probability of being able to identify this genotype based on replicated field testing would be most likely smaller than this, and is a function of how large a population of genotypes is tested and how testing resources are allocated in the testingprogram. 
     Pioneer research station staff propose about 400 to 500 new inbreds each year from over 2,000,000 pollinations. Of those proposed new inbreds, lessthan 50, and more commonly less than 30, are actually selected for commercial use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the invention, there is provided a hybrid sunflower plant, designated as 63A51, produced by crossing two Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. proprietary inbred sunflower lines. This invention thus relates to the hybrid seed 63A51, the hybrid plant produced from the seed, and variants, mutants and trivial modifications of hybrid 63A51. Pioneer Brand Hybrid 63A51 is a single cross, oleic oil type sunflower hybrid. Hybrid 63A51 has demonstrated an unexpected yield for its maturityand oil type with superior root strength and stalk qualities. It is a medium-early maturing hybrid that has shown to be adapted to sunflower growing regions of Canada, the northern and central Plains of the U.S., and regions of western Europe. It has good stable yield across environments, with specific resistance to Downy Mildew (Races 1 &amp; 2) and tolerances to Verticillium wilt and Macrophomina stalk rot. The oil quality obtained from this hybrid yields one with 90% oleic acid. 
     DEFINITIONS 
     In the description and examples that follow, a number of terms are used herein. In order to provide a clear and consistent understanding of the specification and claims, including the scope to be given such terms, the following definitions are provided. NOTE: ABS is in absolute terms and %MNis percent of the mean for the experiments in which the inbred or hybrid was grown. These designators will follow the descriptors to denote how thevalues are to be interpreted. Below are the descriptors used in the data tables included herein. 
     $/ACR=A calculated trait of the value of oil obtained. Yield (LBS/10) multiplied by the percent oil (OIL10P) multiplied by the average cost paidfor sunflower. 
     50PFLW--The number of days it takes for 50 percent of the plants to reach the stage of R5.1 R5.1 is when the ray flowers are visible and the first ring of disk flowers has emerged and flowered. 
     BNKSC--A 1 to 9 visual rating indicating the level of neck breakage. The higher the score the less breakage that occurs. 
     BSKSC--A 1 to 9 visual rating indicating the level of stalk breakage. The higher the score the less breakage that occurs. 
     CLD TST=COLD TEST. The percent of plants that germinate under cold test conditions. 
     CTRSET=A 1 to 9 visual rating indicating the degree of seed set obtained within the sunflower head. A 1 equals a head where only the outer 10% of the head sets seed. A 9 equals a head where 90-100% of the head sets seed. 
     CYTOPLASMIC MALE STERILE (CMS) PLANT OR INBRED LINE. A sunflower line that produces no viable pollen is called male sterile. Male sterility is inherited maternally, i.e. the male sterile plant is used as the female parent in a cross with pollen from another sunflower. CMS lines are produced by crossing a maintainer line with a sunflower plant with the cytoplasmic male sterility trait and then backcrossing to the maintainer line until a male sterile line that is homologous to the maintainer line in all other respects is developed. CMS lines are also referred to as female lines. 
     D/D=DRYDOWN. This represents the relative rate at which a hybrid will reachacceptable harvest moisture compared to other hybrids on a 1-9 rating scale. A high score indicates a hybrid that dries relatively fast while a low score indicates a hybrid that dries slowly. 
     DNYMLW=A 1 to 9 visual rating indicating the resistance to Downy Mildew (Plasmopara halstedii). A higher score indicates greater resistance. 
     DYSR9=The number of days it takes for 50 percent of the plants to reach theR9 flowering stage. This is a stage of physiological maturity that is determined when the back of the flowering head has reached a yellowing stage and the outer bracts of the head have started to brown. This normally is a stage when the seed moisture is at about 30-40% moisture. 
     HARHT=This is the height of the head at harvest, measured in decimeters. 
     HARMST=This is a measure of seed moisture taken at harvest time. It is recorded in percentage of moisture to seed weight. 
     LBS/10=The grain yield as measured in pounds divided by 10. 
     OIL10P=The percentage of oil content measured from the harvested grain adjusted to a 10% moisture level. 
     PHOSC=A 1 to 9 visual rating indicating the resistance to Phompsis stalk rot (Phompsis helianthii). A higher score indicates a greater resistance. 
     PLTHT=This is the height of the head at flowering, measured in decimeters. 
     PMASC=A 1 to 9 visual rating indicating the resistance to Phoma stalk rot (Phoma macdonaldii. The higher score indicates a greater resistance. 
     R160=A measure of the percentage of Palmitic acid found in the oil of the seed as measured by a rapid reading from a gas chromatograph. 
     R180=A measure of the percentage of Stearic acid found in the oil of the seed as measured by a rapid reading from a gas chromatograph. 
     R181=A measure of the percentage of Oleic acid found in the oil of the seedas measured by a rapid reading from a gas chromatograph. 
     R182=A measure of the percentage of Linoleic acid found in the oil of the seed as measured by a rapid reading from a gas chromatograph. 
     RESTORER LINE. A line possessing the gene or genes to restore male fertility or viable pollen to a sunflower hybrid or inbred line and progeny having a maternal cytoplasm that conditions male sterility. This term is also discussed in the literature. See for e.g. Fick, &#34;Breeding andGenetics,&#34; in Sunflower Science and Technology 279-338 (J. F. Carter ed. 1978), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     RLGSC=A 1 to 9 visual rating indicating the level of root lodging. The higher the score the less root lodging that occurs. 
     RSTSC=A 1 to 9 visual rating indicating the resistance to Rust (Puccinia helianthii). A higher score indicates greater resistance. 
     SCLHSC=A 1 to 9 visual rating indicating the resistance to Sclerotinia (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum), head infection. A higher score indicates a greater resistance. 
     SCLRSC=A 1 to 9 visual rating indicating the resistance to Sclerotinia (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum), root and basal stalk infection. A higher scoreindicates a greater resistance. 
     SLFFER=A 1 to 9 visual rating indicating the detree of self fertility foundwithin a self pollinated head. A score of 1 indicates &lt;10% of the seed setsunder a bagged self. A score of 9 indicates that 90-100% of the seed sets under a bagged self. 
     STA GRN=STAY GREEN. Stay green is the measure of plant health near the timeof black layer formation (physiological maturity). A high score indicates better late-season plant health. 
     STMCRV=A 1 to 9 visual rating indicating the degree of stem curvature and head ttitude. A 1 indicates a very pendulous neck and head whereas a 9 indicates virtually no neck bend and an erect head attitude. 
     SUNFLOWER SEED. Botanically referred to as an &#34;achene&#34;, comprised of the pericarp and embryo. 
     VERWLT=A 1 to 9 visual rating indicating the resistance to Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae). A higher score indicates a greater resistance. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Pioneer Brand Hybrid is a single cross, oleic oil type sunflower hybrid. Hybrid 63A51 has demonstrated an unexpected yield for its maturity and oiltype with superior root strength and stalk qualities. It is a medium-early maturing hybrid that has shown to be adapted to sunflower growing regions of Canada, the northern and central Plains of the U.S., and regions of western Europe. It has good stable yield across environments, with specific resistance to Downy Mildew (Races 1 &amp; 2) and tolerances to Verticillium wilt and Macrophomina stalk rot. It has good tolerance to common Rust. It is moderately susceptible to both head and root infectionsof Sclerotinia. It has average oil content. The oil quality obtained from this hybrid yields one with 90% oleic acid. The plants have moderately erect heads and medium height and have average resistance to root and stalk lodging. 
     This hybrid has the following characteristics based on the data collected primarily at Woodland, Calif. 
     
                       TABLE 1______________________________________VARIETY DESCRIPTION INFORMATIONHYBRID-PIONEER HYBRID 63A51______________________________________Class: Oil Type       Region Best Adapted: Sunflower growing regions       of the U.S.A., Canada, northern and       western EuropeA.  Maturity:    Head First Visible (from emergence):                     69    Harvest Ripeness:     110B.  Plant Characteristics:    Plant height:         189 cmC.  Stem:    Length of Internode at Harvest Ripeness:                     4.9 cm    Number of Leaves:     38    Branching:            None    Color of Growing Point:                     GreenD.  Leaves:    Blade Length:         28.0 cm    Blade Width:          26.0 cm    Width:Length Ratio:   Narrower than long    Leaf Shape:           Cordate    Leaf Apex:            Acuminate    Leaf Base:            Auriculate    Leaf Margin:          Moderately coarsely                     dentate    Depth of Margin Indentation:                     Intermediate    Attitude:             Horizontal    Surface:              Crinkled (ridged), lightly    Color:                Green    Margin Color:         GreenE.  Head at Flowering:    Ray Flowers:          Present    Ray Flower Color:     Yellow    Disk Flower Color:    Yellow    Anthocyanin in Stigmans:                     Absent    Pollen Color:         Yellow    Pappi:                Green    Ray Length:           80 mm    Ray Width:            21 mmF.  Head at Seed Maturity:    Diameter:             24 cm    Receptacle Shape:     Convex    Head Attitute:        Slightly Descending    Seeds Per Head        1500G.  Seeds:    Outer Pericarp:       Striped Black    Middle Pericarp:      White    Inner Pericarp (seed coat):                     No Color    Stripes:              Black with narrow Dark-                     Grey Striping    Mottling:             Absent    Shape:                Narrowly Obovate    Shape (cross section) Curved    Length                16 mm    100 seed              9.0 grams    % Held on 7.9 mm (20/64)                     0.0    Round-Hole ScreenH.  Diseases:    Downy Mildew (P. halstedii):                     Resistant (Races 1 &amp; 2)    Rust: (P. helinathii):                     Tolerant    Verticillium Wilt (V. dahliae):                     Moderate Resistant    White Blister Rust (A. tragopogi):                     Susceptible    Broomrape (O. cumanii):                     Susceptible    Sclerotinia Wilt (S. sclerotiorum):                     Susceptible    Leaf Mottle (V. albo-atrum):                     Not Tested    Gray-Mold Blight, Bud Rot (B. cinerea):                     Not Tested    Charcoal Rot, Stem Rot (M. phaseolina):                     Moderate ResistanceI.  Insects:    European Sunflower Moth (H. nebullela):                     Not Tested    Sunflower Moth (H. electellum):                     Not TestedJ.  Variety Most Closepy Resembling:                     6415HO    Frost Resistance:     Same as    Lodging Resistance:   Superior to    Neck or Stem Strength:                     Superior to    Branching Type:       Same as    Petiole length:       Less than    Leaf Shape:           Same as    Leaf Color:           Same as    Leaf Attitude:        Same as    Head Attitude:        Superior to    Ray Flower Color:     Same as    Seed Shape:           Same as    Seed Color:           Same as    Seed Striping Pattern:                     Same as    Seed Yield:           Superior to    % Oil                 43% vs. 45%    % Oleic Acid          90% vs. 88%    % Linoleic Acid       2% vs. 3%______________________________________*In interpreting the foregoing color designations, reference may be had to the Munsell Glossy Book of Color, a standard color reference.Data collected from plots in Woodland, California in 1995 and Moorhead, Minnesota in 1966.(PVP Certificate No.) is a Pioneer HiBred International, Inc. proprietary hybrid. 
    
     Research Comparisons for Pioneer Hybrid 63A51 
     Table 2A is a paired comparison analysis of 63A51 compared with a similarlyadapted Sunflower, 6400. The results show that 63A51 is slightly earlier maturing and is higher yielding than 6400. 63A51 demonstrates superior broken neck and broken stalk scores, and has a higher oleic acid content than 6400. 
     Table 2B is a paired comparison analysis of 63A51 compared with a similarlyadapted high oleic Sunflower, 6415. The results show that 63A51 is earlier maturing and is higher yielding than 6415. 63A51 demonstrates superior root and stalk scores and has a higher oleic acid content than 6415. 
     Table 2C is a paired comparison analysis of 63A51 compared with a similarlyadapted Sunflower, 6451. The results show that 63A51 is slightly earlier maturing than 6400. Both hybrids are high yielding. 
     Table 2D is a paired comparison analysis of 63A51 compared with a similarlyadapted Mycogen Sunflower, 846. The results show that 63A51 is significantly higher yielding than 6400. 63A51 demonstrates superior stalkand root strength and has higher oleic acid content than 846. 
     
                                           TABLE 2A__________________________________________________________________________PAIRED COMPARISON REPORTVARIETY #1 - P63A51VARIETY #2 - P6400__________________________________________________________________________      LBS         OIL            $/ TST                  HAR                     50P                        DYS                           SLF                              PLT                                 STM                                    BNK  VAR /10         10P            ACR               WTE                  MST                     FLW                        R9 FER                              HT CRV                                    SC  #   ABS         ABS            ABS               ABS                  ABS                     ABS                        ABS                           ABS                              ABS                                 ABS                                    ABS__________________________________________________________________________TOTAL SUM  1   245.8         43.3            307.2               30.2                  11.4                     70.8                        108.0                           7.2                              16.6                                 7.3                                    8.1  2   195.7         44.4            249.6               28.6                  11.0                     71.8                        110.0                           6.6                              15.9                                 6.0                                    2.4  LOCS      12 7  7  11 12 4  1  4  4  3  4  REPS      31 16 16 29 31 8  3  8  8  5  8  DIFF      50.0         1.1            57.6               1.7                  0.4                     0.9                        2.0                           0.6                              0.7                                 1.3                                    5.8  PROB      .000#         .023+            .015+               .001#                  .402                     .076* .412                              .320                                 .057*                                    .001#__________________________________________________________________________      BSK         RLG            CTR               PCT                  SCL                     SCL                        R16                           R18                              R18                                 R18  VAR SC SC SET               VER                  RSC                     HSC                        0  0  1  2  #   ABS         ABS            ABS               ABS                  ABS                     ABS                        ABS                           ABS                              ABS                                 ABS__________________________________________________________________________TOTAL SUM  1   8.0         7.1            8.5               93.0                  7.6                     6.8                        3.0                           3.7                              89.3                                 3.7  2   7.8         7.6            7.5               95.0                  7.6                     7.0                        4.1                           3.5                              66.7                                 25.3  LOCS      8  6  2  1  5  2  2  2  2  2  REPS      15 13 2  2  10 6  2  2  2  2  DIFF      0.2         0.5            1.0               2.0                  0.0                     0.2                        1.1                           0.2                              22.6                                 21.6  PROB      .618         .154            .500  1.00                     .795                        .261                           .216                              .265                                 .272__________________________________________________________________________*= 10% SIG += 5% SIG #= 1% SIG 
    
     
                                           TABLE 2B__________________________________________________________________________PAIRED COMPARISON REPORTVARIETY #1 - P63A51VARIETY #2 - P6415HO__________________________________________________________________________      LBS         OIL            $/ TST                  HAR                     50P                        DYS                           SLF                              PLT                                 STM                                    BNK  VAR /10         10P            ACR               WTE                  MST                     FLW                        R9 FER                              HT CRV                                    SC  #   ABS         ABS            ABS               ABS                  ABS                     ABS                        ABS                           ABS                              ABS                                 ABS                                    ABS__________________________________________________________________________TOTAL SUM  1   219.2         43.2            283.7               30.7                  11.5                     68.8                        113.5                           7.3                              17.0                                 7.4                                    7.6  2   212.8         45.4            273.3               31.2                  12.3                     71.8                        113.1                           7.2                              17.5                                 6.0                                    7.2  LOCS      23 11 10 15 23 8  5  5  8  5  5  REPS      155         26 23 36 55 12 8  9  13 7  10  DIFF      6.4         22 10.4               0.5                  0.7                     3.0                        0.4                           0.1                              0.5                                 1.4                                    0.4  PROB      .402         .000#            .398               .181                  .067*                     .000#                        .648                           .822                              .502                                 .005#                                    .456__________________________________________________________________________      BSK         RLG            CTR               PCT                  SCL                     SCL                        R16                           R18                              R18                                 R18  VAR SC SC SET               VER                  RSC                     HSC                        0  0  1  2  #   ABS         ABS            ABS               ABS                  ABS                     ABS                        ABS                           ABS                              ABS                                 ABS__________________________________________________________________________TOTAL SUM  1   8.1         7.3            8.5               93.0                  7.6                     5.2                        3.0                           3.7                              89.3                                 3.7  2   8.3         7.2            7.0               95.0                  6.8                     5.5                        3.0                           4.6                              87.4                                 4.8  LOCS      9  11 2  1  5  4  2  2  2  2  REPS      17 24 2  2  10 11 2  2  2  2  DIFF      0.2         0.1            1.5               2.0                  0.8                     0.4                        0.1                           0.8                              1.9                                 1.1  PROB      .532         .702            .205  .317                     .712                        .656                           .068*                              .403                                 .553__________________________________________________________________________*= 10% SIG += 5% SIG #= 1% SIG 
    
     
                                           TABLE 2C__________________________________________________________________________PAIRED COMPARISON REPORTVARIETY #1 - P63A51VARIETY #2 - P6451      LBS         OIL            $/ TST                  HAR                     50P                        DYS                           SLF                              PLT                                 STM                                    BNK                                       BSK                                          RLG                                             SCL  VAR /10         10P            ACR               WTE                  MST                     FLW                        R9 FER                              HT CRV                                    SC SC SC HSC  #   ABS         ABS            ABS               ABS                  ABS                     ABS                        ABS                           ABS                              ABS                                 ABS                                    ABS                                       ABS                                          ABS                                             ABS__________________________________________________________________________TOTAL SUM  1   210.3         42.8            268.2               30.9                  11.5                     67.9                        114.8                           7.9                              17.5                                 7.3                                    5.5                                       8.7                                          7.5                                             5.2  2   212.4         46.2            251.8               29.7                  11.4                     70.1                        115.3                           7.3                              17.3                                 7.0                                    4.5                                       8.5                                          7.9                                             2.6  LOCS      19 7  6  12 19 6  4  3  6  3  1  2  7  4  REPS      46 17 14 30 47 10 6  7  11 5  2  5  17 11  DIFF      2.1         3.4            16.4               1.2                  0.1                     2.2                        0.5                           0.6                              0.2                                 0.3                                    1.0                                       0.2                                          0.4                                             2.6  PROB      .851         .006#            .426               .007#                  .728                     .000#                        .836                           .560                              .816                                 .423  .500                                          .097*                                             .082*__________________________________________________________________________*= 10% SIG += 5% SIG #= 1% SIG 
    
     
                                           TABLE 2D__________________________________________________________________________PAIRED COMPARISON REPORTVARIETY #1 - P63A51VARIETY #2 - -MYTSN846__________________________________________________________________________      LBS         OIL            $/ TST                  HAR                     50P                        DYS                           SLF                              PLT                                 STM                                    BNK  VAR /10         10P            ACR               WTE                  MST                     FLW                        R9 FER                              HT CRV                                    SC  #   ABS         ABS            ABS               ABS                  ABS                     ABS                        ABS                           ABS                              ABS                                 ABS                                    ABS__________________________________________________________________________TOTAL SUM  1   224.6         43.9            293.1               30.3                  11.6                     69.6                        114.8                           7.2                              16.8                                 7.3                                    8.1  2   195.7         43.2            243.6               29.2                  10.7                     70.9                        114.8                           6.5                              15.8                                 5.8                                    4.5  LOCS      17 8  8  12 17 6  2  4  6  4  4  REPS      38 18 18 30 38 10 3  8  11 6  8  DIFF      28.9         0.7            49.5               1.1                  0.8                     1.3                        0.0                           0.7                              1.0                                 1.5                                    3.6  PROB      .010+         .018+            .025+               .025+                  .001#                     .062*                        1.00                           .382                              .257                                 .014+                                    .013+__________________________________________________________________________      BSK         RLG            CTR               PCR                  SCL                     SCL                        R16                           R18                              R18                                 R18  VAR SC SC SET               VER                  RSC                     HSC                        0  0  1  2  #   ABS         ABS            ABS               ABS                  ABS                     ABS                        ABS                           ABS                              ABS                                 ABS__________________________________________________________________________TOTAL SUM  1   8.0         7.1            8.5               93.0                  7.6                     4.9                        3.0                           3.7                              89.3                                 3.7  2   7.6         6.8            7.0               97.0                  7.5                     5.6                        3.1                           4.1                              87.2                                 5.3  LOCS      8  8  2  1  5  3  2  2  2  2  REPS      15 16 2  2  10 8  2  2  2  2  DIFF      0.4         0.4            1.5               4.0                  0.1                     0.7                        0.2                           0.3                              2.1                                 1.7  PROB      .491         .390            .205  .704                     .478                        .467                           .808                              .587                                 .446__________________________________________________________________________*= 10% SIG += 5% SIG #= 1% SIG 
    
     Comparison of Key Characteristics for Hybrid 63A51 
     Table 3 compares key characteristics between Sunflower hybrids 63A51 and other similarly adapted high oleic sunflowers, OLOMIL and OLMARIL. According to the results, 63A51 is higher yielding than all of the hybridscompared. 63A51 is also superior for stalk breakage than all of the compared hybrids. 63A51&#39;s high yield combined with its other favorable agronomic traits make it a valuable hybrid to its area of adaptation. 
     
                       TABLE 3______________________________________HYBRID CHARACTERISTICS CHARTTRAITS    OLOMIL       OLMARIL   63A51______________________________________YIELD     7            8         9YLD/MAT   5            6         7MAT       MED          MED       MEDFLW       67           68        66RM        41           42        40PM40%(S)  93           95        91PM40%(R)                         115DAYSHAR                          121OIL10P    8            8         7DRYDWN    7            7         6SLFFER    7            9         8PLTHT     4            4         4STMCRV    6            6         8SDVGR     7            8         7BNKSC     S            6         6BSKSC     6            7         9RLGSC     6            6         8CTRSET    7            8         8SEDPAC    8            8         8RUSTSC    4            5         5PMASC     4            6         5RTSCL     4            5         4HDSCL     4            5         4BDSCL     5STKSCL    4VERTSC    4            5         5BRMSC     1            1         1DM2SC     9            9         9PHOSC     4            48OTSC     5DRTTOLR181SC    8            8         8PCT020PCT014SEDLSCSDCSCPCTKER______________________________________ 
    
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     This invention includes hybrid sunflower seed of 63A51 and the hybrid sunflower plant produced therefrom. The foregoing was set forth by way of example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
     As used herein, the term plant includes plant cells, plant protoplasts, plant cell tissue cultures from which sunflower plants can be regenerated,plant calli, plant clumps, and plant cells that are intact in plants, or parts of plants, such as embryos, pollen, ovules, flowers, leaves, seeds, husks, stalks, roots, root tips, anthers, and the like. 
     Duncan, Williams, Zehr, and Widholm, Planta, (1985) 165:322-332 reflects that 97% of the plants cultured which produced callus were capable of plant regeneration. Subsequent experiments with both inbreds and hybrids produced 91% regenerable callus which produced plants. In a further study in 1988, Songstad, Duncan &amp; Widholm in Plant Cell Reports (1988), 7:262-265 reports several media additions which enhance regenerability of callus of two inbred lines. Other published reports also indicated that &#34;nontraditional&#34; tissues are capable of producing somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration. Thus, it is clear from the literature that the state of the art is such that these methods of obtaining plants are, and were, &#34;conventional&#34; in the sense that they are routinely used and have a very high rate of success. Thus, another aspect of this invention is to provide cells which upon growth and differentiation produce sunflower plants having the genotype of 63A51. 
     Sunflower (Heliathus annuus) oil is a major edible oil worldwide. The oil component of sunflower seeds typically contributes about 80 percent of thevalue of a sunflower crop and is mostly used as a cooking medium. Sunfloweroil is also used as salad oil, as well as in the manufacture of margarine, soap, shortening, lubricants, and as a source for biodiesel fuels. In the United States, approximately 4 million acres are planted in sunflowers annually, primarily in the Dakotas and Minnesota. In addition, the seed ofhybrid sunflower line 63A51 can be utilized for human food and animal feed. 
     Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only by the scope of the appended claims. 
     DEPOSITS 
     Applicant has made a deposit of at least 2500 seeds of Hybrid Sunflower Line 63A51 with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), Manassas, Va.20110 USA, ATCC Deposit No. 203054. The seeds deposited with the ATCC on Jul. 10, 1998 were taken from the deposit maintained by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., 700 Capital Square, 400 Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa. 50309-2340 since prior to the filing date of this application. This deposit of the Hybrid Sunflower Line 63A51 will be maintained in the ATCC depository, which is a public depository, for a period of 30 years, or 5 years after the most recent request, or for the enforceable life of the patent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced if it becomes nonviable during that period. Additionally, Applicant has satisfied all the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §§1.801-1.809, including providing an indication of the viability of the sample. Applicant imposes no restrictions on the availability of the deposited material from the ATCC; however, Applicant has no authority to waive any restrictions imposed by law on the transfer of biological material or its transportation in commerce. Applicant does not waive any infringement of its rights granted under this patent.