Abstract

The yield of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) in India is very low when compared to yields obtainable in other countries. It is largely due to these low yields that safflower has not played a more prominent role in helping overcome the oil-fat dietary deficiency of the Indian population as a whole. Safflower here is grown almost entirely under rainfed conditions. Irrigated safflower has not been generally experimented with in this country, nor has much emphasis been given by the commercial sector on higher oil-yielding varieties. The results of preliminary agronomic studies carried out in the Phaltan area of Maharashtra on rainfed and irrigated safflower, using standard indigenous and U. S. varieties, are presented in this paper, together with oil analyses covering a range of commercial varieties."

Keywords: