Payame Noor University Crop Biotechnology 2252-0783 10 3 2021 05 22 Conventional and molecular breeding of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) Conventional and molecular breeding of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) 35 78 7920 10.30473/cb.2021.58978.1838 FA Alireza Nabipour Assistant Professor, Rice Research Institute of Iran, Mazandaran Branch, Agriculture Research, Education and Extension Organization, Amol, Iran. Reza Darvishzadeh Professor, Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran. Ahmad Sarrafi Professor, Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle, EcoLab, Dynabio, INP-ENSAT, 18 Chemin de Borde Rouge, BP 32607, 31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France. Journal Article 2021 03 05 Oilseeds are undoubtedly one of the most strategic agricultural products; their production is of basic needs for food security in any society. Sunflower with the scientific name of Helianthus annuus L. is an annual, monoecy, dicotyledonous plant that belongs to composite family. This genus consists diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid species, and common sunflower is a diploid species with a base chromosome number of x=17. Sunflower is grown mainly for its edible oil. Environmental stresses such as drought, salinity, unusual temperatures, heavy metal and UV radiation are serious threats to plant growth, metabolism and productivity. In recent years, astonishing advances in biotechnology, genetic engineering, and computer science have made breeding programs much faster, more accurate, and more efficient than ever before. New techniques, if properly incorporated into breeding programs, can dramatically increase the speed and accuracy of these programs and can reduce costs by an extraordinary amount. In this article, while briefly referring to conventional breeding methods, new methods and their application in sunflower breeding are discussed. In the last 10 years, the science of genomic has expanded the genetic information of quantitative traits, and marker assisted selection has become a practical tool. Oilseeds are undoubtedly one of the most strategic agricultural products; their production is of basic needs for food security in any society. Sunflower with the scientific name of Helianthus annuus L. is an annual, monoecy, dicotyledonous plant that belongs to composite family. This genus consists diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid species, and common sunflower is a diploid species with a base chromosome number of x=17. Sunflower is grown mainly for its edible oil. Environmental stresses such as drought, salinity, unusual temperatures, heavy metal and UV radiation are serious threats to plant growth, metabolism and productivity. In recent years, astonishing advances in biotechnology, genetic engineering, and computer science have made breeding programs much faster, more accurate, and more efficient than ever before. New techniques, if properly incorporated into breeding programs, can dramatically increase the speed and accuracy of these programs and can reduce costs by an extraordinary amount. In this article, while briefly referring to conventional breeding methods, new methods and their application in sunflower breeding are discussed. In the last 10 years, the science of genomic has expanded the genetic information of quantitative traits, and marker assisted selection has become a practical tool. https://cropbiotech.journals.pnu.ac.ir/article_7920_0acf6242b532b32dbcc6279490ad090b.pdf