INTERNATIONAL SUNFLOWER ASSOCIATION
Members' Directory
Last name :
ZUIL
First name :
Sebastian
Entrance year :
2026
Occupation :
Researcher
Birthdate :
1980/05/16
Address :
Cachero 753, Santa Fe 2300 Rafaela / Argentina
Main fields of interest :
- Crop production
- Agronomy
- Plant physiology
Professional experience : * Crop Physiologist Researcher – INTA (2005–2025)
• Led research programs in sunflower, soybean, maize, wheat, sorghum and cotton.
• Specialized in crop physiology, genotype evaluation and environmental characterization.
• Coordinated national and international collaborative research projects.
* Director of METs of Argentina – INTA/ASAGIR (2016-2025)
• Coordinated the Argentine National Sunflower Multi-Environment Trial Network (≈30 locations annually).
• Managed commercial and experimental hybrids.
• Led statistical analyses of adaptability and stability across environments.
Professor – National University of Litoral (FCA-UNL) (2023 to present)
• Teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in Plant Ecophysiology and Data Analysis.
• Supervising B.Sc. and M.Sc. students and advising undergraduate and postgraduate theses.
• Integrating teaching, research and technology transfer in agronomic sciences.
* Founder of SAPIENS – (2025–Present)
An independent agronomic research company providing experimental field trials, multi-environment testing, crop physiology studies and decision-support tools for the seed industry across Argentina.
Education : * M.Sc. in Crop Production - National University of Mar del Plata – Argentina (2011)
* Agricultural Engineer - National University of the Littoral – Argentina (2004)
Selected publications : * Zuil, S.G., N.G. Izquierdo, J. Lujan, M. Cantarero, L.A.N. Aguirrezabal. 2012. Oil quality of maize and soybean genotypes with increased oleic acid percentage as affected by intercepted solar radiation and temperature. Field Crops Research 127: 203-214.
* Zuil, S., Canavelli, S.; Addy-Orduna, L. 2022. Oil-con hybrids as a potential tool to prevent eared dove damage to sunflower crops. Helia. https://doi.org/10.1515/helia-2022-0005.
Rodriguez, I.M., Hall, A.; Monzon, J.P.; Mercau, J.L., Gayo, S., Lopez Pereira, M., Cerrudo, A., Urcola, H.A., Troglia, C.B., Zuil, S., Paolini, M., Martini, G., Cipriotti, P.A. 2024. Sunflower yield gaps and their causes in Argentina. Field Crops Research 315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109480
* Sandoval, M., Cirilo, A., Paytas, M., Zuil, S., Izquierdo, N. 2024 Critical Periods for Waterlogging Effects on Yield and Grain Components in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus), Soybean (Glycine max) and Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor): A Comparative Study. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 210: e12765 https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.12765
* de la Vega, A.J., Zuil, S., Vázquez, A.N., Bertero de Romano, A., 2024. Past contributions and present challenges of sunflower breeding in Argentina. Helia 47: 52-70.
* de la Vega, A.J., Zuil, S., Vázquez, A.N., Bertero de Romano, A., 2025. Genetic progress achieved over ninety-three years of sunflower breeding in Argentina, 1931–2024. Field Crops Research 330, 109968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109968
Digital Innovation & Decision-Support Tools
* HelioSelector - Interactive decision-support platform integrating 26 years of sunflower MET data, stability analyses and regional adaptation to support hybrid selection across Argentina.
https://sebazuil.shinyapps.io/app_girasol/
* PhytoRisk - Climate-driven platform for monitoring abiotic stress and disease risk through probabilistic forecasting, supporting agronomic decision-making worldwide.
https://sebazuil.shinyapps.io/phytorisk/
