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

FRANCHINI, M.C.; FLEMMER, A.; LINDSTROM, L.I.; CARRIN, M.E,; CONSTENLA, D.; JOHNSON, RC

CROP SCIENCE

CROP SCIENCE SOC AMER

Lugar: Baltimore; Año: 2021

0011-183X

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 April 2013) and winter sowing (13 August 2012 and 20 August 2013) affected phenology, yield, yield components, and oil percent in four winter andeight 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 days longer, and stem elongationto anthesis period 30 days longer in fall than in winter sowing. However, anthesis was advanced only few days in fall sowing and duration of post-anthesis development was comparable between sowing regimes and years. Fall sowing plants averaged 3252 filled grains m-2 and a grain yield of 109.8 g m-2while winter sowing plants 1443 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%) compared with 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 pre-anthesis and presented favorable climatic conditions for safflower development.