Towards improvement of oil content in safflower (Carthamus tinctorious L.)

Abstract

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is a multi-purpose oilseed crop grown for vegetable oil, animal feed, natural dyes and medicinal uses globally (Knowles 1989; Li and Mündel 1996). It is a traditional oilseed crop of India, primarily known for its healthy cooking oil containing more than 80% of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), the highest among edible oils (Kostik et al. 2012). Despite economic importance, safflower cultivation is declining in India, from 10 lakh ha. in 1988 to 1.5 lakh ha. in 2013 (FAOSTAT 2013). Seed oil content in the popular cultivars remains low (~28-32%), which is a concern for increasing the profitability of safflower cultivation. Increase of oil content in the cultivar would eventually lead to increase in oil yield, which would make safflower a commercially competitive crop for the farmers and attract the vegetable oil industry to take up safflower promotion in the country. We are exploring various strategies including the introduction of exotic high oil germplasm/varieties, conventional and molecular breeding to enhance oil content coupled with high seed yield in safflower.