The subject invention relates in part to the discovery of a spontaneous sunflower mutation. The subject invention involves an‘early’mutation and related inbred/hybrid development. The subject invention further provides a single dominant gene that confers earliness in sunflower inbred isolines and near isogenic hybrids. There is no known prior teaching or suggestion of this gene's utility for hybrid development in the industry. The subject indention also provides a new and distinctive sunflower inbred line designated H 120R. The invention includes seeds that possess this mutated gene, plants produced by growing these seeds, and progeny thereof that possess this mutated gene and the associated earliness trait. The subject invention also includes methods for producing such sunflower seeds and plants, including inbreds and hybrids. Such plants can be produced by, for example, crossing such an inbred line with itself or with another sunflower line.
