🌻 Safflower

Safflower

• Botanical name: Carthamus tinctorius
• Family: Compositae
• Safflower crop is known as Fencing crop/Border crop.
• Origin: Southern United States & Mexico
• Auxin activity is more in apical portion of flower.
• Fruit of safflower - Achene

  

Climate

• The crop requires a cool climate during germination and seedling growth.
• Seedlings tolerate frosts moderately well until they reach the four to six leaf stage of development.
• It requires warm weather from the seedling stage up to flowering stage and warm and sunny days during flowering to maturity.

Soil

• Sunflower can be grown on a wide range of soils and tolerates a moderate pH range and some salinity.
• It thrives best on deep loam soils with good drainage and irrigation facilities.
• The optimum range of soil pH for this crop is 6.5 to 8.5.
• Sowing time:
  • Kharif: July to 1st week of August
  • Rabi: November 1st to 2nd week
  • Summer: February 2nd week
• Germination type: Epigeal
• Seed rate
  • Normal: 8-10 kg per hectare.
  • The seed should be sown at 3-4 cm depth for better stand.
• Spacing:
  • Kharif: 60 x 20 cm.
  • Rabi: 45 x 20 cm.
• Irrigation: 2-3 irrigations
• Critical stages:
  • Bud initiation (35-40 DAS)
  • Flower opening (55-65 DAS)
  • Seed filling (65-90 DAS)
• Varieties: JSF-1,2,5, JSI-7, EB-7, JSH-129
• Nutrient management: 40 : 40 : 30 : 20 kg NPKS/ha at sowing time.
• Topping: 40 to 50 days after sowing to increase lateral branching.

Disease

Insect-Pest

Harvesting

• Yield: The crop is ready for harvest when moisture in seed is 20 percent
• 18-20 qt/ha