SEED YIELD, OIL CONTENT AND FATTY ACIDS COMPOSITION OF SAFFLOWER (Carthamus tinctorius L.) GROWN IN NORTHERN TURKEY CONDITIONS

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The introduction of safflower to a regional cropping system requires information concerning its performance under local environmental conditions. Field studies were conducted to investigate the adaptation, seed yield, yield components, oil content and fatty acid compositions of the safflower cultivars, Remzibey, Dinçer and Yenice at five locations in Northern Turkey (Bafra, Ladik, Suluova, Gümüşhacıköy and Osmancık) during the 2004-2005 growing season. Experimental design was a randomized complete block design with three replications. Seed yield, plant height, first branch height, number of branches per plant, head diameter, number of seeds per head, 1000-seed weight, oil content and fatty acid composition were determined as experimental parameters. According to the results, the evaluated parameters varied with cultivars and locations greatly. The cultivar Remzibey produced the highest seed yield (2482 kg ha-1) and oil content (33 %) in the location Gümüşhacıköy. Fatty acids linoleic and oleic acid were main oil components for all cultivars and fatty acid composition varied greatly among locations and cultivars. The results indicate that safflower is well adapted to Northern