Number Of Capitula Research Articles

Generation Mean Analysis Studies in Safflower (Carthamus tinctures L.)

The present investigation was conducted at experimental research farm of Agriculture Botany College of Agriculture, Latur, in 2021, with a view to study the genetics of yield and yield components through generation mean analysis. The scaling test exhibited that, there was presence of epistatic gene interaction. The duplicate epistasis were observed in days to maturity and test weight in cross, JMU-1339 x NARI-6 and cross, JMU-1339 x EC-757665 for days to 50% flowering, number of branches per plant, number of seeds per capitulum and oil contents in cross-I; for plant height, number of capitulum per plant and hull contents in cross, JMU-1339 x EC-757665. This suggests the need of specific breeding procedure such as intermating of most desirable segregants followed by selfing and selecting superior genotypes coupled with progeny testing to exploit the population under study. Selection in early generation would be effective when additive effects are larger than non-additive ones. Further if the non-additive portions are larger than additive one, the improvement of the character need intensive selection through later generations.

Morphological and genetic diversity of Senecio vulgaris L. (Asteraceae) in Iran

Senecio vulgaris L., an annual herb belonging to the Asteraceae, is widely distributed in different regions of the world. There is no information on the intraspecific variations of the morphological and molecular features of this species. In the present investigation, we studied the morphological and genetic diversity of 81 accessions of S. vulgaris collected from 10 geographical populations. Eleven inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers were used for the examination of genetic variations among the populations. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) and GST analyses revealed significant differences among the investigated populations. A significant correlation between genetic distance and geographical distance was revealed by the Mantel test. However, reticulation analysis indicated the occurrence of gene flow among most of the populations studied. Principal component analysis (PCA) plot showed that the number of capitula, length of the cauline leaf and plant height were the most variable morphological characters. Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) plot revealed two groups of populations, according to molecular and morphological data. The results suggested the existence of possible intraspecific taxonomic ranks within this species.

Yield and silymarin content in milk thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.) fruits affected by the nitrogen fertilizers

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.) is a common weed that has been introduced as a medicinal plant for silymarin production. This renders it important to optimize cultivation techniques, including fertilization. In the present study, a two-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of conventional and stabilized nitrogen fertilizers on plant growth, fruit yield, and fruit quality. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with five fertilization treatments (control, conventional nitrogen fertilizer applied at 75 kg/ha and 125 kg/ha, and stabilized nitrogen fertilizer applied at 75 kg/ha and 125 kg/ha. Nitrogen fertilization had a significant effect on vegetative and yield parameters. Specifically, the application of nitrogen fertilizers positively influenced rosette diameter, height, aboveground dry biomass, total chlorophyll content, number of capitula per plant, number of fruits per central capitulum, and fruit yield. In particular, in most traits, the usage of high nitrogen levels of the two types of fertilizer had the most pronounced impact. The application of the stabilized fertilizer at a rate of 125 kg N/ha induced an increase in fruit yield of up to 29.6 %. Nitrogen fertilization had no impact on the accumulation of oil and silymarin in the fruits, although some effects on oil and silymarin yield were noted. In general, the application of nitrogen fertilizers had no effect on the antioxidant activity or total phenolic content of the fruit extracts. Finally, climatic conditions affected the growth and productivity of milk thistle, as fruit yield was favoured by wet conditions.

Characterization of Oilseed Crop Noug (Guizotia abyssinica) Using Agro-Morphological Traits

Noug (Guizotia abyssinica) is an outcrossing oilseed crop that serves as a source of edible oil and other nutrients although its seed yield is generally low. The analysis of agro-morphological traits in relation to seed and oil yields is important for improving the productivity of this crop. The present study aimed at assessing the variation and heritability of quantitative (10) and qualitative (6) traits in noug based on 60 landrace accessions collected from wide geographic area in Ethiopia. The field trial was conducted at two sites in Ethiopia using a square lattice design. The analysis of variance revealed significant variation (p < 0.05) among these accessions. The highest broad-sense heritability (H2) was recorded for days to 10% flowering (DTF10; 85.4%), whereas number of capitula per plant (NCPP) and number of seeds per capitulum (NSPC) showed medium heritability (H2 = 38.5% and 31.6%, respectively). NCPP and NSPC showed a highly significant (p < 0.01) positive and negative genotypic correlation with days to flowering, respectively. These three traits showed very low genotypic coefficient of variation (<1%). In the case of qualitative traits, small capitulum, large flower, green leaf, green stem and course leaf margin showed significant association with higher number of seeds per plant (NSPP). Euclidean distance-based cluster analysis revealed that the clustering pattern of the accessions poorly correlates with the geographic distance between sample collecting sites. Similarly, no clear clustering pattern of accessions was revealed by principal component analysis (PCA) that explained 66.3% and 53.6% of the total variation of quantitative traits and qualitative traits, respectively. The oil content of these accessions was previously investigated and accessions with high oil content show large differences in terms of days to flowering, NSPP and thousand seed weight (TSW). Among the accessions included in this research, Hr_B21; Gj_C17, Sh_I4 and Gr_F15 Gj_G18 and Tg-R13 are top ranking, as they have at least one the following highly desirable traits: early maturity, high oil content, NSPP and TSW. Hence, crossbreeding of their selected genotypes would lead to the development of new cultivars that combine early maturity and both high seed and oil yields.

Heterosis and inbreeding depression for seed yield and its contributing characters in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

The present study was conducted in order to develop genetic information on heterosis and inbreeding depression for seed yield and its contributing characters using generation mean analysis in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.). GMU-2720 x GMU-3423 (Cross-1) depicted a positive and significant relative heterosis, standard heterosis and heterobeltiosis for seed yield per plant. Cross-1 also revealed a significant desirable relative heterosis, standard heterosis and heterobeltiosis for number of others yield contributing traits. Negatively significant inbreeding depression was observed for the characters i.e., the number of branches per plant, the number of capitulum per plant, the number of seeds per capitulum, test weight and seed yield per plant in JMU-1339 x GMU-3423 (Cross -2). It was suggested that the parental genotypes GMU-2720 and GMU-3423 due to their presence in high heterotic combinations viz., GMU-2720 x GMU-3423 would be further exploited in future safflower breeding programme. The cross JMU-1339 x GMU-3423 exhibited a significant negative inbreeding depression for test weight, seed yield per plant and oil content. Hence, this cross would likely to yield beneficial transgressive segregants for these traits leading to the possibility of selecting superior recombinations for high seed yield and high oil content in F2 and succeeding generations. Key wordsSafflower, heterosis, heterobeltiosis, standard heterosis and inbreeding depression

Effects of latitudinal variation on field and common garden comparisons between native and introduced groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) populations

Abstract Aims Field and common garden comparisons are commonly performed to test the rapid evolution of increased vigor in introduced plant populations. Latitudinal clines in phenotypic traits can obscure such evolutionary inferences, particularly when native or introduced populations are distributed across large geographic ranges. We tested whether the latitudinal clines influence comparisons between introduced and native populations of Senecio vulgaris. Methods Senecio vulgaris is native to Europe but has been introduced in northeastern and southwestern China. To evaluate the performance in terms of growth and reproduction between native European populations and introduced Chinese populations, we compared plant height, number of branches and number of capitula in field populations in native and introduced ranges and in a common garden in Switzerland. Important Findings The introduced Chinese populations performed better than the native European populations in the field in terms of plant height and number of capitula, which was consistent with the prediction of the evolution of the increased competitive ability (EICA) hypothesis. The Chinese populations produced more capitula than the European populations when the latitudinal cline was considered in the common garden comparison. When we compared the traits of the northeastern Chinese, southwestern Chinese and European populations in both the field and common garden, the northeastern Chinese populations, at latitudes similar to those of the European populations, exhibited greater plant size and more capitula than the European populations in both the field and common garden. However, the southwestern Chinese populations, at latitudes much lower than those of the European populations, did not perform better than the native populations in terms of reproduction. In conclusion, our results suggest that latitudinal clines in phenotypic traits should be considered in field and common garden comparisons when introduced populations are geographically structured.

<p><strong><em>Saussurea odorata</em> (Asteraceae), a new species from western Mongolia</strong></p>

A new species of Asteraceae, Saussurea odorata, is described here based on morphological evidence. The new species was discovered in the southern part of the Mongolian Altai Mountains, Möst Sum (District), Khovd Aimag (Province), Mongolia. Morphological comparisons showed that S. odorata is similar to S. saichanensis and S. krylovii, but can be distinguished by its much-branched caudex, a larger number of capitula in a dense racemose synflorescence, and a strong odor due to the high density of glandular trichomes on both surfaces of leaves. Detailed illustrations, pictures of living plants, as well as a key for identification are presented.

'Centaurea akcadaghensis' and 'C. ermenekensis' (Asteracaeae), two new species from Turkey

Two new species of Centaurea subg. Cyanus (Asteraceae) from Anatolia are described and illustrated. Centaurea akcadaghensis Uysal & Şirin occurs on open Quercus forest of Levent Canyon (Akçadağ-Malatya) and differs from C. matthiolifolia Boiss. mainly in stem, leaves, central flowers and achenes measures. Centaurea ermenekensis Şirin & Uysal is restricted to steppes of Göktepe (Ermenek-Karaman) and can be distinguished from C. reuteriana Boiss. by the stem, number of capitula, involucre and median appendages measures.

Genetic diversity studies in safflower germplasm (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

The investigation on Genetic diversity studies in safflower germplasm (Carthamus tinctorius L.)” was undertaken to estimate the extent of diversity and to estimate the contribution of each character towards genetic diversity. The set of 63 genotypes along with three checks 'A-1, PBNS-12, PKV Pink' were evaluated at the field of Oilseeds Research Unit, Dr. PDKV, Akola during rabi 2018-2019. Based on measurements of genetic diversity by Mahalanobis D2 distance and grouping by Tocher’s method, these genotypes were grouped into ten clusters. Clusters VI and VIII (3896.92) had maximum average inter cluster distance followed by clusters X and VIII (3096.12), clusters III and VI (2772.88), clusters II and VIII (2383.65), clusters V and IV (2296.31). Seed yield per plant (25.69%) contributed maximum towards genetic divergence followed by days to maturity (18.41%), days to 50% flowering (16.08%), number of seeds per capitulum (12.82%) and plant height (10.58). The present investigation projected the importance of GMU-7363, GMU-5135, GMU-5134 as parents for higher heterosis in F1 and potential transgrassive segragants in subsequent generations for earliness as they have least mean for days to maturity whereas high mean of GMU-7448, GMU-5136, GMU-2648, GMU-2928, GMU-667, GMU-1798 GMU-2830 and GMU-7355 for characters viz plant height, number of branches per plant, number of capitula per plant, number of seeds per capitulum, 100 seed weight, volume weight, oil content and seed yield per plant respectively.

<p><strong><em>Pacifigeron indivisus</em> (Asteraceae: Astereae), a new species endemic to Rapa, Austral Islands, and a new delimitation of the <em>Celmisia</em> group</strong></p>

This study reports, based on molecular phylogenetic analyses and a morphological assessment, the second species of Pacifigeron, an endemic genus of Rapa Island in French Polynesia. Detailed morphological and ecological descriptions, illustrations, IUCN Red List assessment, and a distributional map are provided. Our results support the exclusion of Pacifigeron from the Celmisia group and also allow the re-circumscription of the Celmisia group. The new species Pacifigeron indivisus can be differentiated from P. rapensis, among other characters, by its larger leaves, larger number of capitula per capitulescence, corollas lacking long uniseriate multicellular trichomes, style of the disc florets undivided, and absence of twin trichomes on the cypsela epidermis. Molecular data indicates that Pacifigeron is related to South American Andean genera rather than to the Celmisia group as was previously proposed. The Celmisia group is here re-circumscribed to include ca. 159 species distributed in Australasia within the following genera: Celmisia, Damnamenia, Olearia pro parte, Pachystegia, and Pleurophyllum. Given the taxonomic complexity and polyphyletic nature of Olearia, its taxonomy is briefly reviewed based on history, morphology, and phylogenetic evidence, which in turn allows delineation of its species composition within the Celmisia group. None of the Olearia species in the Celmisia group can be retained in Olearia since the type species, O. tomentosa, does not belong to the Celmisia group.

Effect of Row Spacing, Sowing Density, and Harvest Time on Floret Yield and Yield Components of Two Safflower Cultivars Grown in Southwestern Germany

The current demand for safflower florets (Carthamus tinctorius L.) in the food-coloring industry, especially in Europe, is rising. The present production, mainly located in China, is not sufficient. Unlike for the production of seeds, there are currently no recommendations for the cultivation of safflower for floret production in Germany. Therefore, field experiments were conducted at the experimental station Ihinger Hof, Southwestern Germany, in 2017 and 2018. The aim was to evaluate yield and yield parameters, such as number of capitula, floret yield, and carthamidin content for (i) two cultivars grown with (ii) two row spacing (12 and 33 cm) using (iii) two sowing densities (40 and 75 plants m−2), and (iv) five harvest dates. Results showed that lower sowing densities resulted in a significantly larger number of branches and capitula per plant and higher yields of florets and carthamidin. Harvesting two to three weeks after flowering resulted in the significantly highest floret and carthamidin yields. More capitula per plant, higher carthamidin contents, and higher floret and carthamidin yields were obtained with the Chinese cultivar. In general, yields of flowering florets (2.30–468.96 kg ha−1), carthamidin contents (2.53–8.29%), and carthamidin yields (0.04–37.86 kg ha−1) were comparable to or higher than in other studies. In conclusion, this study showed that safflower has great potential for the production of florets in Southwest Germany, for the food-color industry.

Effect of organic manures and site specific nutrient management practices (SSNM) in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

A field experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station, Tandur during 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 to evaluate the effect of FYM and site specific nutrient management (SSNM) practices in safflower. FYM was applied two weeks before sowing and fertilizers were applied to the crop based on uptake pattern, target yield and soil fertility status. The field trial was laid out in split plot design with four replications. In main plots two treatments were assigned viz., M1 - No manure, M2 - FYM @ 5 t/ha and five sub plots consisted of S1 - Control (No fertilizer), S2 - Recommended NPK, S3- SSNM (STCR equation) for target yield of 1.5 t/ha, S4- S3 + micronutrients (Zn @ 5 kg/ha + S @ 10 kg/ha), S5 - S3 + if soil is deficient add 25% more than S2, if soil is medium apply as S2 and if soil is high apply 25% less than S2. Application of FYM @ 5 t/ha (M2) resulted in significantly higher plant height (105.89 cm), primary branches (10.14), number of capitula (30.14), seed weight/plant (9.40 g), 100 seed weight (6.42 g), dry weight/plant (58.92 g), Seed yield (1377 kg/ha), biological yield (5862 kg/ha), harvest index (20.16%) and gross returns (`39626/ha). However, net returns (`16669/ha) and B:C ratio (2.00) was higher in no manure application. Application of fertilizers based on S4- SSNM (STCR equation) for targeted yield of 1.5 t/ha + micronutrients (Zn @ 5 kg/ha + S @ 10 kg/ha) recorded significantly higher plant height (115.07 cm), primary branches (12.23), number of capitula/plant (36.33), seed weight/plant (11.28 g), 100 seed weight (6.54 g), dry weight/plant (64.47 g), seed yield (1650 kg/ha), biological yield (6227 kg/ha), harvest index (21.81 %), gross returns (` 47511 /ha) and net returns (` 20881 /ha).

Screening of f2 population in safflower for higher fatty acid content

The Present study was carried out at Research cum Instructional Farm, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur (M.P.) during rabi of 2015-16. The present study is based on a cross between GMU 244 x GMU 1303 and its F2 progeny study based on the segregation pattern of fatty acids and study of transgressive segregation. Over other allogamous oilseed crops, such as sunflower and rapeseed, safflower is characterized by high degree self-pollination which has greater advantage for commercial production of high oleic acid. It is a type of oilseed crop which consists of various composition of different fatty acids and this can be controlled by combination of various major genes and some changes in environment condition. The association of markers with traits of study is estimated by their positive average additive effect with different traits. In present study SSR marker SES 33 was found to be linked with number of seeds per capitulam and seed yield per plant. Similarly, SSR marker SF 18 was observed to be linked with plant height, number of branches per plant, number of capitulam per plant, seed yield per plant and oil %. SSR marker SES144 was found to be associated with yield contributing traits like plant height, number of capitulum per plant and oil %. SSR marker SES 99 was found to be associated with traits, plant height, and number of seeds per capitulam, seed yield per plant and oil %. In this study SSR marker SES 86 was observed to be linked with number of branches per plant and oil %. Marker SES 85 was found to be linked with number of branches per plant, oil %, number of seeds per capitulam and seed yield per plant. The SSR marker SES 81 was found to be linked with plant height.

Morphological description, genetic diversity and population structure of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) mini core collection using SRAP and SSR markers

This study was conducted to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of globally diverse mini core collection of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) using agro-morphological, sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) and simple-sequence repeats (SSR) molecular markers. Field experiment results showed significant differences between genotypes for agro-morphological traits such as: number of capitula per plant, number of seeds per plant, 1000-seed weight and seed yield. Ten SRAP primer combinations generated 120 polymorphic bands with an average polymorphism information content (PIC) value of 0.23. High allelic variation using 10 SSR markers observed across genotypes, with an average value of 6.8 alleles per locus and relatively high value for PIC (0.69). Pooled molecular data (SSR + SRAP) were used to identify the population structure and genetic diversity using discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) and STRUCTURE analysis. The results revealed four clusters within the safflower accessions, while there was no strong correlation between geographical origins and estimated genetic diversity. Our results showed high genetic diversity for both agro-morphological and molecular analysis in the examined safflower germplasm. This mini core germplasm can be used for germplasm management and future safflower breeding programs.

Life history response of Echinops gmelinii Turcz. to variation in the rainfall pattern in a temperate desert.

BackgroundCurrent and future changes in rainfall amount and frequency may particularly impact annual plants in desert ecosystems. The winter annual Echinops gmelinii Turcz. is widely distributed in the desert habitats of northern China and is a dominant pioneer annual plant following sand stabilization in the Tengger Desert. This species plays a vital role in dune stabilization during spring and early summer, when wind erosion is the most severe and frequent. However, seedling emergence and regeneration in sandy soil are mainly determined by rainfall patterns. Therefore, understanding the life history response of this species to rainfall variation is necessary for understanding the change of population dynamics under the future climate change.MethodsA field simulation rainfall pot experiment using rainout shelter was conducted that included five amounts and five frequencies of rainfall based on historical and predicted values to monitor the life history responses of E. gmelinii in a near-natural habitat.ResultsWe found that rainfall amount and frequency significantly affected seedling survival, growth and reproduction. The plant height, biomass, capitula number, seed number, seed mass and reproductive effort, but not the root/shoot ratio, significantly increased with increasing rainfall. Further, these traits exhibited the greatest response to low-frequency and larger rainfall events, especially the optimal rainfall frequency of 10-day intervals. Offspring seed germination showed increasing trends with decreasing rainfall, suggesting that the maternal effects may have occurred.ConclusionsOur study shows that the plasticity in growth and reproduction of E. gmelinii in response to rainfall variations may help it to gain dominance in the harsh and unpredictable desert environment. Furthermore, population development of this winter annual species should be promoted under the likely future scenarios of large rainfall events and increasing cool-season precipitation in temperate desert.

Cremanthodium magnificum (Asteraceae-Senecioneae), a new species from northern Myanmar

Cremanthodium magnificum (Asteraceae-Senecioneae), a new species from northern Myanmar, is described and illustrated. It is somewhat similar to both C. chungdienense and C. pyrolifolium in having robust stature, large-sized leaves and hemispheric involucre. However, C. magnificum differs from C. chungdienense mainly by stem indumentum, leaf shape, capitulum number and synflorescence type. From C. pyrolifolium, C. magnificum is distinct by stem indumentum, leaf shape, capitulum number and ray lamina shape.

Effects of microtopography and water table on Sphagnum palustre L. in subtropical high mountains and implications for peatland restoration

ABSTRACTIntroduction. Human disturbance has recently led to increasingly serious destruction of Sphagnum L. wetlands in subtropical high mountains, resulting in an urgent need for wetland restoration.Methods. Through a field experiment conducted in western Hubei Province, China, the effects of four different microtopographic types [concave surface, convex surface, concave and convex surface (CC surface), and flat surface] and water table depth (0 to −30 cm) on three growth indicators (number of capitula, coverage and biomass) of Sphagnum palustre L. were examined. The objective was to identify the optimal hydrological conditions for S. palustre growth and thus facilitate its rapid recolonisation and restoration of these wetlands.Key results. The results showed that different microtopographic conditions significantly influenced S. palustre growth. Among them, S. palustre in the CC surface showed the worst growth, while no significant differences existed among the other three microtopographic types. Additionally, as the water table increased, the growth of S. palustre increased, but long-term flooding impeded growth. The water table affected S. palustre growth via effects on its tissue water content.Conclusions. Microtopographic reshaping was not essential for the success of S. palustre recolonisation, and microtopography that maintained the water table to within −10 cm of the surface without flooding were best, independent of the microtopographic types. In addition, the growth patterns of S. palustre changed with changes in the environment, which may be related to its long-term adaptation to conditions of a lower water table.

Flower-visiting insects on Solidago × Niederederi (Asteraceae): an observation from a domestic garden

Abstract Pliszko A., Kostrakiewicz-Gierałt K., 2018: Flower-visiting insects on Solidago ×niederederi (Asteraceae): an observation from a domestic garden. - Botanica, 24(2): 162-171 In this study, we focused on flower-visiting insects on Solidago ×niederederi, a natural hybrid between the North American S. canadensis and the European S. virgaurea. Based on four-day observation in a domestic garden, we evidenced a high number of Diptera visits on hybrid flowers, per each hour of the recording, and a positive correlation between the number of insect visits and the length, the width and the number of secondary branches of synflorescence and the number of capitula. Moreover, the number of insect visits positively correlated with the air temperature and negatively correlated with the wind speed. The increasing number of insect visits with the increasing size of synflorescences suggests that capitula of the hybrid arranged in bigger panicles might be more visible and smell stronger. However, a high number of insect visits on the flowers within the same synflorescence may promote the occurrence of geitonogamy. The involvement of various insects in pollination of S. ×niederederi needs to be studied in the future.

Consistent Between-Individual Differences in Foraging Performance in a Floriphilic Katydid in Response to Different Choices.

The neural constraint hypothesis is one of the central ideas for the understanding of insect-plant interaction but there are still knowledge gaps in the data for foraging behavior and the performance of herbivores, and particularly florivores. We used a floriphilic katydid, Phaneroptera brevis (Serville, 1838) (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) and a naturalized weed, Bidens pilosa L. (Asteraceae) in caged experiments in an insectary to answer these questions: 1) How does the foraging performance of the floriphilic katydid vary when exposed to a choice in the number of capitula and types of florets of B. pilosa? 2) Does the foraging performance of the katydid, when exposed to multiple choices, improve with time, and are between-individual differences in foraging performance consistent? We observed that having more choices in the floret types and number of capitula is generally associated with a reduced foraging performance of the katydids. Floret types and number of capitula, however, did not have an interactive effect on foraging performance. We also found that the differences in foraging performance in response to choice tend to be consistent between katydids but each katydid became more efficient and decisive over time. That learning and experience can improve the foraging performance of the katydid has provided us with some insights as to how a continuum of efficient and inefficient katydids can be maintained in a population.

Effect of salinity stress on phenotypic plasticity, yield stability, and signature of stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in safflower.

Salinity is one of the major factors contributing in land degradation, disturbance of soil biology, a structure that leads to unproductive land with low crop yield potential especially in arid and semiarid regions of the world. Appropriate crops with sufficient stress tolerance capacity and non-conventional water resources should have to be managed in a sustainable way to bring these marginal lands under cultivation for future food security. The goal of the present study was to evaluate salinity tolerant potential (0, 7, and 14dSm-1) of six safflower genotypes that can be adapted to the hyper arid climate of UAE and its marginal soil. Several agro-morphological and physiological traits such as plant dry biomass (PDM), number of branches (BN), number of capitula (CN), seed yield (SY), stable isotope composition of nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C), intercellular CO2 concentration from inside to ambient air (Ci/Ca), intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE), carbon (C%) and nitrogen (N %), and harvest index (HI) were evaluated as indicative of the functional performance of safflower genotypes under salt stress. Results indicated that salinity significantly affected the seed yield at all levels and varied significantly among genotypes. The BN, PDM, CN, and δ13C attributes showed clear differentiation between tolerant and susceptible genotypes. The δ13C results indicate that the tolerant genotypes suffer less from stress, may be due to better rooting. Tolerant genotypes showed lower iWUE values but possess higher yield. Safflower genotypes (PI248836 and PI167390) proved to be salt tolerant, stable, and higher seed and biomass yielder. There was no G × E interaction but the genotypes that produce higher yield under control were still best even under salt stress conditions. Although salinity reduced crop yield, some tolerant genotypes demonstrate adaptation and good yield potential under saline marginal environment.