The evaluation of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) cultivar leaves belonging to different exotic and local genotypes for physiological traits, viz., chlorophyll a and b, total chlorophyll, carotenoid pigments, and concentration of total pigments transpired spectrophotometrically. The exotic sunflower genotypes used in the study consisted of 9859 (USA), 30837 (Australia), 33673 (France), 9843 and 30835 (Turkey), 9853 and 9848 (Russia), and a local cultivar Jakhongir (Uzbekistan). In the budding phase, the exotic accession 33673 (France) showed higher contents of chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, and total pigments (17.8 ± 0.55, 6.61 ± 0.40, 5.82 ± 0.19, and 24.47 ± 0.95 mg/ml, respectively). For the flowering phase, exotic genotype 30835 (Turkey) excelled for chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, and total pigments concentration (17.10 ± 0.37, 6.31 ± 0.24, 5.42 ± 0.24, and 23.41 ± 0.55 mg/ml, respectively). In the ripening phase, the amount of chlorophyll a and carotenoids were 16.64 ± 0.84 and 5.82 ± 0.12 mg/ml, respectively, in genotype 9853 (Russia), and chlorophyll b and total pigments correspond to 6.04 ± 0.33 mg/ml and 21.19 ± 0.57 mg/ml in the local cultivar Jakhongir. No significant quantitative variations were evident for nitrogen content and total protein content in sunflower genotype seeds. However, higher values of total protein content (21.8%) manifested in the exotic genotypes, i.e., 30837 (Australia), 33673 (France), and 9848 (Russia). During 2021, the seed oil content ranged from 31.9% ± 0.51% to 54.4% ± 0.87%, while the highest oil content (54.4% ± 0.87%) emerged in genotype 9853 (Russia). In 2022 planting, the sunflower seeds’ highest fat content percentage surfaced in sample 9848 (Russia), 53.99% ± 0.14%. In addition, genotype 9853 (Russia) also contained various micro-macro elements, i.e., Mg, Al, Ca, Fe, Sr, and Ba, compared with the rest of the sunflower genotypes.

Keywords: Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), spectrophotometer, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, general pigment, protein, budding, flowering and ripening phases, micro-macro elements

Key findings: The sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) exotic and local genotypes revealed varied values of physiological traits, viz., chlorophyll a and b, total chlorophyll, carotenoid pigments, and concentration of total pigments analyzed spectrophotometrically. Nitrogen and total protein content showed no significant differences among all the sunflower genotypes.