Effects of Honey Bee Activity and Cages on Attributes of Thin‐Hull and Normal Safflower Lines¹

Abstract

Two safflower lines, a thin‐hull and normal, were subjected to three treatments; caged without bees, caged with bees, and not caged with bees, at Tucson, Arizona. Cage and bee effects were determined on eight attributes and the daily foraging activity of honey bees on the two lines were observed.Cage treatments decreased yield, bushel weight, and hull percentage and increased oil percentage of the normal line. On the thin‐hull line cage effects were of a smaller magnitude but decreased yield, number of seeds per head and percentage of deformed seedlings and increased germination percentage. Effects of bee pollination on the normal line were non‐significant except for a slight decrease in hull percentage. Bee pollination in the thin‐hull line doubled yield, quadrupled the number of seeds per head, reduced weight per 100 seeds, and increased oil percentage.Honey bee activity differed on the two lines. Pollen collectors worked only the normal line whereas nectar collectors worked both lines equally.

Safflower Winter Survival and Selection Response Relates to Fall Growth Morphology and Acclimation Capacity

“…For the AWC, this was true for all year‐locations except Pullman 2005–2006. The AWC population was developed through crosses of several wild Carthamus species to domestic safflower (Rubis et al, 1966). As such, it is the most variable safflower population known.…”

“…Accessions BJ‐27, FO‐2, and FO‐4 originated from China; KN‐144 originated from Iran. The AWC was a population with wild species introgressed into safflower (Rubis et al, 1966). Additional details concerning these accessions can be found in Johnson et al (2006)…”

Autumn growth and its relationship to winter survival in diverse safflower germplasm

“…The AWC population was developed through crosses of several wild Carthamus species with domestic safflower using a thin-hull line to promote hybridization with pollinating bees (Rubis et al 1966). As a result, the AWC population is extremely variable.…”

Characterizing Safflower Germplasm with AFLP Molecular Markers

“…The eight populations were selected to represent a range of diversity. This included the highly variable AWC (PI 537682), a population developed though crosses with wild Carthamus species (Rubis et al, 1966), and the cultivar Girard (PI 525457), expected to have far less diversity through the process of breeding for uniform characteristics. The other six populations were selected at random from each of the six regions outside the Americas.…”