Characterization of nutrient deficiencies in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius)

Abstract

Oilseeds are energy rich crops and the nutrient requirement is very high. The nutrient reserves existing in most of our soils today are too low to ensure adequate supplies of nutrients. High yields necessary to provide adequate amounts of high quality food can be achieved only when the nutrients withdrawn from soil due to crop cultivation are added back to the soil. In crop production, optimum nutrient supply is usually achieved by the application of manures and fertilizers. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is an important oilseed crop well adapted to dryland conditions because of its deep root system (Dordas and Sioulas 2008) and is grown on black soils during winter with receding soil moisture under input starved conditions as a result the crop suffers hidden hunger. Foliar symptoms are the first indicators to identify the nutrient deficiencies. Stage of the crop, position of the leaf on the plant and extent of metabolic disturbance will determine the deficiencies specific to individual nutrient element. Though not many reports are there on nutritional disorders in field conditions in safflower, their occurrence in future cannot be ruled out. Hence, an experiment was conducted to characterize deficiency symptoms of major nutrients, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), Potassium (K) and micronutrient Fe to serve as a guide for identification and correction.