Varieties and hybrids of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

Abstract

Safflower is an important traditional oilseed crop primarily grown under residual moisture in vertisols of peninsular India. The crop is cultivated mainly for the high quality edible oil extracted from the seeds. Breeding initiatives in India have resulted in the development of many improved cultivars suitable for various agro-ecological regions of the country. These include high yielding spiny and non-spiny varieties, hybrids and specialty high oleic variety which have been developed through the research efforts of the All India Coordinated Research Project on Safflower and ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research. There is a tremendous scope for area expansion with these high yielding cultivars which will lead to better remuneration to the farmer. The present publication is a compilation of the characteristic traits of all released cultivars of safflower and is mainly based on release/notification proposals and input from the developing centres.