Effect of water stress on growth components of winter safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

Abstract A field study was carried out in order to determine the effect of irrigation, water stress imposed at different development stages on seed yield, seasonal evapotranspiration (ET), crop-water relationships, oil yield and plant growth components of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) for winter sowing at Thrace Region in Turkey. The field trials were conducted on a loam Entisol soil, using cv. Dincer, the most popular variety in the region. A randomised complete block design with three replications was used. Three known growth stages of the plant were considered and a total of 8 (including rain fed) irrigation treatments were applied. Results of this study show that safflower is significantly affected by water shortage in the soil profile due to omitted irrigation during the sensitive vegetative stage. Highest yields were observed in the fully irrigated control. An evapotranspiration of 728 mm were calculated for non-stressed production for winter sowing. Safflower seed yield of this treatment was 4.05 ton per hectare

Ontogenetic and diurnal variations of essential oil content of Hypericum montbretii Spach, cultivated in Kazdağı (Edremit/Balıkesir), Turkey

Abstract. This research was carried out to determine the Hypericum montbretii Spach types essential oil content and composition, and its diurnal variations (9.00 am, 12.00 am and 16.00 pm) during the growing season of 2012. The plant was cultivated in the area of Mount Ida (Balikesir-Edremit), Turkey. The oil composition was determined with GC-MS. During the plant developmental stages the highest quantity of essential oil content (0.30-0.39%) was found at the full plant flowering stage and the lowest one at fresh fruiting stage (0.03-0.04%). Diurnal fluctuation in essential oils of whole plant was also observed – higher were the levels at noon (12.00 am) – 0.04-0.39% compared to the morning (9.00 am) and in the afternoon (16.00 pm). The oils consisted mainly of: at the vegetative stage – germacrene-D (6.9-11.7 %), gamma-Gurjunene (6.1-11.6%), 2-methyl octane (3.8-4.9%), δ-cadinol (2.7-4.8%) and phytol (2.9-4.5%); at the flowering stage – α-pinene (26.4-28.0%), undecane (14.1-16.0%), β-pinene (12.8-14.3%), delta-cadinene (6.8-8.0%) and caryophyllene (4.9-6.0%); at the fresh fruiting stage – amorphene (6.8-8.2%), β- caryophyllene (4.1-5.3%), delta-cadinene (5.0-5.5%) and α-cadinene (4.3-6.1%)

How sowing date affects development and performance of safflower through climate variables

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) has unrealized potential as an alternative crop in many semiarid regions including central Argentina. Our objective was to relate how temperature and precipitation conditions with fall (5 June 2012 and 23 Apr. 2013) and winter sowing (13 Aug. 2012 and 20 Aug. 2013) affected phenology, yield, yield components, and oil percent in four winter and eight spring-type safflower accessions in the semiarid region of central Argentina. Fall sowing was associated with lower temperatures, higher precipitation, lower heat/moisture stress indices and precipitation deficits than winter sowing. Rosette period lasted 55 d longer, and stem elongation to anthesis period 30 d longer in fall than in winter sowing. However, anthesis was advanced only few days in fall sowing and duration of postanthesis development was comparable between sowing regimes and years. Fall sowing plants averaged 3,252 filled grains m–2 and a grain yield of 109.8 g m–2, whereas winter sowing plants averaged 1,443 filled grains m–2 and a grain yield of 49.3 g m–2. Grain yield was 35% higher in winter than in spring-type accessions, but winter types had lower oil percent (22.0%) than spring-types (33.3%). In the semiarid region of central Argentina, we recommend fall sowing as it extended the growing season in terms of days preanthesis and presented favorable climatic conditions for safflower development.Fil: Franchini, María Clara. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Flemmer, Andrea Cecilia. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Lindström, Lilia Ivone. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Carrin, Maria Elena. Universidad Nacional del Sur; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Constenla, Diana Teresita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Johnson, Richard Coburn. Washington State University; Estados Unido