Eight sunflower inbred lines and 15 F1 hybrids (line x tester) have been analyzed for correlations between several yield components (oil yield, protein yield, kernel yield, grain yield, dry mass of the aboveground plant parts, leaf area and harvest index). The path coefficient analysis was employed to partition the direct and indirect effects of the studied characteristics on oil yield per plant. Highly significant positive correlations were found between oil yield on one side and all the characters under study on the other. Protein yield exhibited a highly significant positive direct effect on oil yield. Grain yield and kernel yield had positive direct effects on oil yield per plant, whereas the dry matter mass of the vegetative plant part, harvest index and leaf area had negative direct effects on oil yield.