Helianthus hirsutus, or the hairy sunflower, is a wild species of sunflower in the tertiary genepool of cultivated sunflower species Helianthus annuus. This makes it more difficult to use the species in breeding efforts.
Helianthus hirsutus has been found to be resistant to a number of pests and diseases, including powdery mildew (Erysiphe cichoracearum DC. ex Meret), [1] and most recently has been shown to have genes with the potential to increase yields when introduced into an elite cultivated background through the sunflower pre-breeding work of this Project.
