The response of safflower seed quality characteristics to organic and chemical fertilisation

Abstract

Information regarding the simultaneous evaluation of vermicompost (V) and K-humate (KH) on safflower traits is not available. This research investigated the effects of various rates of V (0, 3, 6 and 9 t ha−1) in combination with KH (0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 l ha−1) on spring safflower during two years compared with chemical fertilisation (CF). In the current experiment, oil content, oil yield and fatty acids (FA) were evaluated. The results showed that the highest oil content and oil yield were obtained with 9 t ha−1 V and 1 or 1.5 l ha−1 KH treatments in both years. By increasing the rates of organic treatments, the levels of unsaturated FA increased compared with the control and CF treatments. With regard to FA composition, only linoleic acid content increased in the second year. The highest percentage of linoleic acid was observed with 9 t ha−1 V and 1.5 l ha−1 KH treatment in both years and was approximately 2.6 and 5.9% higher than with CF in 2012 and 2013, respectively. The combined application of V and KH improved seed quality compared with their individual application and CF.