A field study was conducted on four desiccants; Dimethipine, Metoxuron (Dosanex), Drop-leaf and Diaquat, during 1990 and 1991. Two rates of each desiccant were sprayed on sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) hybrid NK-212 15 days after flower completion. Two harvesting dates (10 and 20 days) after desiccant application were superimposed on each desiccant treatment. The objective of this specific study was to determine the relative efficacy of different desiccants at two different rates, harvested on two different dates after application and their consequent effect on seed yield, oil quality and other agronomic characters of sunflower. As an average of the two years, desiccant treatment means were significantly different for all the traits studied. The lowest seed yields (1667 and 1674 kg/ha) were obtained from lower and higher doses of Diaquat, respectively. Conversely, higher yields were obtained by both rates of either Drop-leaf (2222 and 2342 kg/ha) or Metoxuron (2121 and 2168 kg/ha) as compared with the other treatments. Application of Diaquat and Dimethipine reduced the yield significantly as compared with the control, Drop-leaf and Metoxuron (Dosanex). Similarly, low and high oil contents were attributed to Diaquat and Drop treatments, respectively. This study concluded that Drop-leaf and Metoxuron (Dosanex) can be safely used as desiccants on sunflower at the rates of 0.225 and 0.750 kg ai/ha, respectively. The sunflower crop should be harvested 35 days after flower initiation or 25 days after flower completion to get higher seed yield, oil content and low seed moisture contents to mini mize the post harvest losses and simultaneously vacate the field 5 to 10 days earlier for the subsequent crop.