What pests attack sunflower?

Cabbage moth, Black Bean Aphid (Blackfly), Leaf Miner

What diseases affect sunflower?

Downy Mildew, White mould (Sclerotinia), Rust

Sunflower pests and diseases: how to recognise them

Q: Which sunflower problems need quick action?

Cabbage moth: Smooth caterpillars without obvious hairs, yellowish green to brownish green or almost black, growing to 40–50 mm. Downy Mildew: Pale green, yellow, purple or brown blotches on the upper side of leaves, often angular where they are bordered by the veins. White mould (Sclerotinia): A soft, wet rot on stems, often near soil level; plants suddenly turn yellow, wilt and collapse.

Helianthus annuus

The pests, diseases and disorders recorded for sunflower in our library, each with a photo and its first symptom. Every page has the full list of symptoms, organic and chemical treatment and prevention.

At a glance

Problems in total	6
Pests	3
Diseases	3
Need quick action	3

How to grow sunflower · All pests and diseases

Pests

Cabbage mothSmooth caterpillars without obvious hairs, yellowish green to brownish green or almost black, growing to 40–50 mm.Photo: picture taken by Olaf Leillinger, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Black Bean Aphid (Blackfly)Dense colonies of black aphids up to 2 mm long, sometimes with white flecks, on soft shoot tips, flower stems and the undersides of young leaves.Also called: blackfly, bean aphidPhoto: Sascha Kohlmann from Berlin, Deutschland, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Leaf MinerWinding white or brown tunnels (mines) inside the leaf, or on beet, chard, spinach and celery large pale blotches that soon turn brown and papery.Photo: Flowersabc, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Diseases

Which sunflower problems need quick action?

These spread or do lasting harm fast; check the plants and start treatment the day you see them.

Cabbage moth: Young caterpillars feed in groups on the undersides of leaves and skeletonise them; they feed at night.
Downy Mildew: A white, grey or purple mould on the underside of the leaf, directly below each blotch, in damp weather.
White mould (Sclerotinia): Masses of fluffy white, cotton-like mould on the affected parts, especially in cool, damp weather.

Plants with many of the same problems

Which plants each problem affects: sources

The links between these problems and the plant were checked against these pages.