Successful interspecific hybridization was carried out between the wild perennial diploid species Helianthus pumilus Nutt., accession GT-M-172, and cultivated H.annuus L. The cross compatibility between H.pumilus and H.annuus was much higher when the wild species was used as the male in the crosses. Insemination (seed set) was very low in both directions. In order to prove the presence of considerable variability in the early F1 generation, some statistical methods were used for evaluation of morphological traits such as plant height, head diameter, number of disk flowers and insemination. Heterosis was detected for plant height. Cases of partial to complete dominance of the cultivated parent prevailed. A high level of segregation was observed in the F2 generation, therefore, traits depression and transgression were evaluated for plant height, head diameter, number of florets and seed set. A triple pheno typic correlation appeared between three characters in sunflower and one of them was confirmed on genetic level as well. Resistance to Plasmopara helianthi, Orobanche cumana and Phomopsis helianthi was discovered in different progenies of the interspecific hybrids of H.pumilus.