Safflower Yield Response to Irrigation and Gamma Irradiation

Abstract

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is drought resistant plant, but the adequate irrigation is important for the increasing of safflower yield. The effects of drip irrigation associated with pre-sowing gamma irradiation of seeds on plant growth and yield were investigated. The seeds were irradiated by gamma rays (60 Co) at various doses (50, 100, 150Gy). The safflower plants were grown under drip irrigation and rainfed conditions of the Republic of Moldova in season of 2017. Modifications of bio-morphological (height, number of secondary branch, developed and undeveloped inflorescence) and yield attributing (number of seeds per head and per plant, weight of seeds per plant and 1000-seed weight) characters of safflower were studied. The results showed that the drip irrigation influenced positive and statistically significant (p≤0.001) on all studied characters of safflower. The plant grown under irrigation had the number of developed inflorescences, the number of seeds and the weight of seeds per plant, respectively 1.83, 1.81 and 2.50 times more than rainfed plants; as well as undeveloped inflorescence less 2.47 times. The contribution of pre-sowing irradiation was not so pronounced. The impact of factors (irradiation, irrigation) and their interaction for the improvement of bio-morphological and yield attributing characters were determined. The significant impact of growing condition on the number of seeds per plant at p≤0.01, weight of seeds per plant and 1000-seeds weight at p≤0.01 was established. The gamma radiation had the contribution to changes in 1000-seeds weight but the contribution of growing condition on this character was 15.7 times stronger.