Sunflower crop was based, as yet, on high linoleic cultivars, but in the last years
request for oil with higher content of oleic acid has increased, due to their dietary characteristics.
At the beginning, high oleic cultivars were used to be sown in warm regions, but then the concern
about growing it in temperate areas, as the south-east of Buenos Aires Province, was posed. In this
region, early sowings are recommended, so that grain filling matches with a period of appropriate
hydric and light conditions, as to result in greater yields. However, early sowings are limited by
low soil temperature, that delays seedling emergence, resulting in heterogeneous stand
establishment. The aim of this work was to evaluate seed performance of four high oleic cultivars
in the southern area of Buenos Aires Province, by means of vigor tests and field trials. Germination,
cold, tetrazolium viability, tetrazolium viability with cold, accelerated ageing tests and three field
sowings at different soil temperatures were performed. Data were analyzed by Anova using
generalised linear models, and tests and cultivars were contrasted among themselves. Similar
seedling emergence under optimal and suboptimal temperatures for high oleic and high linoleic
cultivars was recorded. The success of seedling establishment does not appear to be related to the
acidic composition of seeds.