Determination of Agricultural Performances of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) Varieties Under Diyarbakır Ecological Conditions

This study aimed to identify suitable safflower cultivars for the climatic conditions of Diyarbakır, conducted over the 2016 and 2017 growing seasons. The experiment was designed using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The cultivars used in this study were Balcı, Dinçer, Linas, Olas, and Remzibey-05. Based on the two-year average, the highest seed yield was obtained from the Balcı cultivar (2360 kg ha−1), while the Linas cultivar produced the lowest seed yield (2015 kg ha−1). Other key findings the highest oil yield was obtained from the Balcı cultivar (789 kg ha−1), while the Remzibey-05 cultivar produced the lowest oil yield (601 kg ha−1) and the highest oil ratio was obtained from the Olas cultivar (34,6 %), while the Dinçer cultivar produced the lowest oil ratio (26,6%). Besides, plant height (108,2-119,0 cm), head number per plant (15,2-16,1), head diameter (2,09-2,22 cm), and thousand seed weight (34,8-39,6 g) were determined. Based on the results of this two-year study, the Balcı cultivar seems to be the most suitable choice for cultivation under the specific conditions of Diyarbakır and in delayed winter safflower plantings.