Safflower Research Articles

Mechanised Harvesting of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L., fam. Asteraceae) – a review

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L., family Asteraceae) is part of the species with a “wide biodiversity portfolio”, which has genetic potential, but is underutilized for commercial cultivation. Such species offer viable agricultural alternatives in response to climate change, being adapted to cultivation on less fertile, even marginal, land. The cultivation potential of Safflower is high, but in our country there are few cultivated areas. The lack of documentation regarding the cultivation technology, as well as the lack on the market of biological material necessary for sowing the crops, led to the disinterest of the growers in this plant. However, in recent years, the attention given to this crop has increased, due to more and more intense lack of water and limitation of precipitation, which cause a huge deficit in the production of oilseeds, the Safflower being, however, resistant to these conditions. To these added are the consumers’ preference for the healthy oil, with less saturated fat, for which Safflower oil is well known. Also, the species has medicinal properties, and edible dyes are extracted from its flowers. Every part of the Safflower plant can be used after processing, as food, phytomedicine, biofuel, for ornamental purposes, etc. Collecting the petals is a difficult operation, especially for the thorny varieties of the species, and it is done manually. The high labour costs, as well as the difficulty of finding it, create problems for the development of the processing industry of this plant. The paper presents a brief summary of the technical systems for the mechanized harvesting of Safflower depending on its uses, including the current state of research regarding the design and experimentation of robots intended for the collection of inflorescences.

Genome-wide identification and comprehensive analysis of WRKY transcription factor family in safflower during drought stress

The WRKY family is an important family of transcription factors in plant development and stress response. Currently, there are few reports on the WRKY gene family in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.). In this study, a total of 82 CtWRKY genes were identified from the safflower genome and could be classified into 3 major groups and 5 subgroups based on their structural and phylogenetic characteristics. The results of gene structure, conserved domain and motif analyses indicated that CtWRKYs within the same subfamily maintained a consistent exon/intron organization and composition. Chromosomal localization and gene duplication analysis results showed that CtWRKYs were randomly localized on 12 chromosomes and that fragment duplication and purification selection may have played an important role in the evolution of the WRKY gene family in safflower. Promoter cis-acting element analysis revealed that the CtWRKYs contain many abiotic stress response elements and hormone response elements. Transcriptome data and qRT-PCR analyses revealed that the expression of CtWRKYs showed tissue specificity and a strong response to drought stress. Notably, the expression level of the CtWRKY55 gene rapidly increased more than eightfold under drought treatment and rehydration, indicating that it may be a key gene in response to drought stress. These results provide useful insights for investigating the regulatory function of the CtWRKY gene in safflower growth and development, as well as identifying key genes for future molecular breeding programmes.

Maximization of flower yield in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

A study was carried out on a non-spiny hybrid safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) NARI-NH-1 for maximization of flower yield by altering the agronomic practices viz., dates of sowing, fertilizer levels and plant spacings. The study showed that the differences due to sowing dates, fertilizer levels and plant spacings were significant for flower and seed yield in safflower. Delayed sowing beyond first fortnight of October resulted in a decrease in both flower and seed yield. Significantly highest flower yield (199 kg/ha) and seed yield (2014 kg/ha) were recorded with an application of 150% recommended dose (RD) of fertilizers, with flower yield being 26.85% higher and seed yield 28.89% higher than the control. However, if the net returns are considered, there is noadvantage in applying more than 100% RD of fertilizer to the crop. The spacing of 45 cm x 10 cm gave significantly higher flower and seed yield over the recommended spacing of 45 cm x 20 cm. The interaction effects between dates of sowing, spacings and fertilizer levels suggested that sowing of safflower in the first week of October either with a spacing of 45 cm x 10 cm and an application of 100% or 150% RD of fertilizer or with a spacing of 45 cm x 20 cm with an application of 150% RD of fertilizer can be recommended for obtaining maximum flower and seed yield in safflower.

Whole-genome and genome-wide association studies improve key agricultural traits of safflower for industrial and medicinal use.

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is widely cultivated around the world for its seeds and flowers. The presence of linoleic acid (LA) in its seeds and hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) in its flowers are the crucial traits that enable safflower to be used for industrial and medicinal purposes. Understanding the genetic control of these traits is essential for optimizing the quality of safflower and its breeding. To further this research, we present a chromosome-scale assembly of the genome of the safflower variety 'Chuanhonghua 1', which was achieved using an integrated strategy combining Illumina, Oxford Nanopore, and Hi-C sequencing. We obtained a 1.17-Gb assembly with a contig N50 of 1.08Mb, and all assembled sequences were assigned to 12 pseudochromosomes. Safflower's evolution involved the core eudicot γ-triplication event and a whole-genome duplication event, which led to large-scale genomic rearrangements. Extensive genomic shuffling has occurred since the divergence of the ancestor of dicotyledons. We conducted metabolite and transcriptome profiles with time- and part-dependent changes and screened candidate genes that significantly contribute to seed lipid biosynthesis. We also analyzed key gene families that participate in LA and HSYA biosynthesis. Additionally, we re-sequenced 220 safflower lines and carried out a genome-wide association study using high-quality SNP data for eight agronomic traits. We identified SNPs related to important traits in safflower. Besides, the candidate gene HH_034464 (CtCGT1) was shown to be involved in the biosynthesis of HSYA. Overall, we provide a high-quality reference genome and elucidate the genetic basis of LA and HSYA biosynthesis in safflower. This vast amount of data will benefit further research for functional gene mining and breeding in safflower.

Carthamus tinctorius L. Seed and Taraxacum coreanum Attenuate Oxidative Stress Induced by Hydrogen Peroxide in SH-SY5Y Cells.

Oxidative stress is closely associated with the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases. The seeds of Carthamus tinctorius L. (CTS) and Taraxacum coreanum (TC) are reported as herbal medicines for neuroprotection. This study investigated the protective effect of CTS, TC, and their combination against oxidative stress induced by H2O2 in SH-SY5Y cells. The CTS and TC combination dose-dependently increased DPPH and ·OH radical scavenging activities compared with non-combination. The combination showed a higher increased cell survival rate in H2O2-stimulated SH-SY5Y cells than CTS or TC. Moreover, CTS, TC, and their combination-treated cells reduced LDH release and apoptotic cells. CTS, TC, and their combination also inhibited NO and ROS generation. Further, the combination of up-regulated antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) and Bcl-2 protein expressions and down-regulated Bax expression. These findings suggest that the combination of CTS and TC may be beneficial to prevent and treat oxidative stress-mediated neurodegenerative diseases.

Quercetin inhibits mesothelial-mesenchymal transition and alleviates postoperative peritoneal adhesions by blocking the TGF-β1/PI3K/AKT pathway

Ethnopharmacological relevanceCarthami flos is a dried flower of the Asteraceae plant Carthamus tinctorius (L.). Danhong injection, composed of Carthami flos and Danshen can prevent the formation of postoperative peritoneal adhesions. Quercetin (QUE), an active compound of Carthami flos, has also been proved to prevent postoperative abdominal and uterine cavity adhesions. However, whether QUE is the key component in Carthami flos and the mechanism in preventing postoperative peritoneal adhesions has not been studied. Aim of the studyTo predict whether QUE is the key molecule in Carthami flos and explore the effect and mechanism of QUE in preventing postoperative peritoneal adhesions. Materials and methodsDrug composition and target analysis was used to predict the key component in Carthami flos. The method of cecum-sidewall abrasion was used to establish adhesion models, and the antiadhesion effect of QUE was evaluated with the adhesion scoring system. Network pharmacology was used to predict the targets and potential mechanism of QUE in preventing adhesion. The mechanism was further verified by immunofluorescence, Western blot, wound healing experiment, and molecular docking. ResultsQuercetin was predicted to be the key to preventing postoperative peritoneal adhesions in Carthami flos. Animal experiments revealed that QUE effectively ameliorated adhesions and reduced the expression of mesothelial-mesenchymal transition (MMT) related markers and TGF-β1. Moreover, the TGF-β1/PI3K/AKT pathway was predicted via protein-protein interaction and Kyoto encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis to play a crucial part in preventing adhesion by QUE. Furthermore, in vitro experiments and molecular docking demonstrated that QUE could block the TGF-β1/PI3K/AKT pathway through forming a stable combination with TβR-II, thereby inhibiting MMT and ameliorating peritoneal adhesion. ConclusionsQUE can not only reduce postoperative TGF-β1 but also block the TGF-β1/PI3K/AKT pathway to inhibit MMT of mesothelial cells, and finally alleviate postoperative peritoneal adhesions. These findings may provide insights towards development of a safe and effective anti-adhesive drug for prevention of postoperative peritoneal adhesions.

Towards utilizing Asteraceae alternative oilseed species on marginal lands: Agronomic performance, fatty acid composition, oil biocompounds, and oil physicochemical properties of Asteraceae species

Including alternative and drought-resilient oilseeds in marginal lands, where conventional oilseed production is threatened, could be an effective measure to restore marginal lands and improve sustainable seed oil production. Based on this approach, the present study aimed to evaluate the potential of some new and neglected Asteraceae species as alternative oil seed crops in marginal lands. The agronomic performance, fatty acid profile, seed oil biocompounds, and physicochemical properties of blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus), cardoon (Cynara cardunculus), milk thistle (Silybum marianum), niger seed (Guizotia abyssinica), pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) and safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) were studied under a marginal land condition (semi-dry poor soils) in two growing years. Niger seed possessed the highest oil content (39.45%), while the highest oil yield (470.21 kg ha−1) was noted in safflower. The GC and HLPC analysis indicated that all the species of seed oils were rich linoleic acid sources (51.65–73.45%). However, some species, such as safflower, also contained a high amount of oleic acid (25.41%) proportion. Pot marigold seed oils had high levels of calendic acid (more than 50% of total fatty acids). The tocopherol and phenol biocompounds as essential micronutrients for human health were abundant in the species studied, which the highest tocopherol contents recorded for blessed thistle (670.43 mg/kg) and safflower (655.75 mg/kg) oils, respectively. Accordingly, the antioxidant activity of the oilseeds followed the same trends, being the highest in blessed thistle and safflower oils. The high concentration of oleic acid in safflower oil was associated with decreasing oil density, saponification, peroxidase, and increasing viscosity indicating its high oil oxidative stability. According to agronomic and oilseed quality properties, most species, especially safflower and blessed thistle, can be considered promising alternative oilseed crops in marginal lands.

Morphological and biochemical changes with hormone and hydro- priming applications in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) seedlings under salinity stress conditions

In this study, the ameliorative effects of hydro- and hormopriming applications against salt stress of safflower seeds during germination and seedling development stage were investigated. Primed (hydropriming (0, 1, 2 and 3 days) with distilled water and hormopriming for 24 hours (0, 50, 100 and 150 mg L-1 with kinetin) and nonprimed seeds were sown under control (no salt) and salt stress (0, 50, 100 and 150 mM NaCl) conditions. When priming applications under salt stress are compared with the control, germination percentage (GP), seedling lenght (SL), root length (RL), seedling fresh weight (SFW), root fresh weight (RFW), leaf relative water content (RWC), elctrolyte leakeage (EL) parameters reducing the effects of stress, however, it was determined that caused an increase in carotenoid (Car), superoxide dismutase (SOD), total phenolic compounds (TPC) parameters. Besides this, it has an inhibitory effect on the increase in proline (Pro) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. According to the correlation analysis, significant positive correlation was determined in all parameters. A significant positive correlation was determined for hydropriming GP with SL, RL, SFW, RFW, and for hormopriming with SL, RL, SFW, RFW, total Chl, RWC and GP. According to the PCA analysis, the parameters examined in both applications it is seen that they are divided into four different groups. In conclusion, this study priming applications are compared with each other, it has been determined that hormopriming is more effective in reducing the effects of stress than hydropriming.

Influence of abiotic environmental factors on the biochemical composition of crop production fruits

The article provides information on the study of the effect of abiotic environmental factors on the quality of fruit and berry and medicinal plants in Volgograd and the region: Carthamus tinctorius L., Ribes aureum Pursh., Rosa rugosa Thunb., Rosa cinnamomea L., Rosa acicularis Lindl., Rosa spinosissima L., Rosa canina L. The studies conducted by the authors make it possible to assess the natural and climatic conditions of the region, as well as the suitability and safety of plant species, which is relevant from the point of view of improving the quality of life and improving the health of the population, as well as the development of crop production. The results of the experiments allowed us to recommend certain types of rosehip, safflower and currant for the production of plant products and use in medicine. During laboratory tests, the content of lead, cadmium, zinc and copper was found in the fruits of experimental plants. The maximum fat content in 1000 g of safflower seeds is achieved by applying a dose of sewage sludge of 10 t/ha with a seeding rate of 250 thousand pieces/ha. it was found out that the content of amino acids in fruit bushes depends on weather conditions – 2020 showed an increase in arginine, glycine, leucine and isoleucine in golden currant, proline in rose hips, which indicates their high drought resistance. It was revealed that the content of zinc (12 mg) and copper (8 mg) increased in the fruits of golden currant in areas located close to highways, which is why the collection of fruits for eating in these areas is not recommended. The characteristics of irrigation norms for species at different heights of the aboveground part are given.

Comparative Analysis of Bio- and Chemo-Catalysts for the Synthesis of Flavour Compound Hexanal from Linoleic Acid

Hexanal, hexenal, nonenal and their corresponding alcohols are used as green notes in the fragrance and flavour industry. The production of bio-based hexanal starts from linoleic acid, which can be obtained from sunflower or safflower oil. The biocatalytic process utilizes C13-specific lipoxygenase (LOX) for hydroperoxidation and consecutive splitting with hydroperoxide lyase (HPL). In this study, we investigated the chemical splitting of the LOX product 13-HPODE in comparison to HPL catalysis. In addition, 13-HPODE was synthesized using enriched linoleic acid from safflower oil. Varying amounts of soybean flour suspension as a source of LOX yielded up to 60% HPODE with a regioselectivity of 92% towards 13-HPODE. Using low-toxicity Lewis acids like AlCl3 and ZrCl4, cleavage of the produced 13-HPODE was possible. A maximum hexanal yield of 22.9% was reached with AlCl3 under mild reaction conditions, though product degradation was an interfering process. Comparative trials with N-terminal truncated HPL from papaya revealed hexanal recovery within a comparable range. Additionally, we successfully demonstrated the viability of Hock rearrangement of 13-HPODE through heterogeneous catalysts. Notably, Beta zeolite and Montmorillonite K10 exhibited a turnover frequency (TOF) on par with common heterogeneous catalysts employed in industrial processes.

Modeling hormesis using multivariate nonlinear regression in plant biology: A comprehensive approach to understanding dose-response relationships

For over a century, ecotoxicological studies have reported the occurrence of hormesis as a significant phenomenon in many areas of science. In plant biology, hormesis research focuses on measuring morphological, physiological, biochemical, and productivity changes in plants exposed to low doses of herbicides. These studies involve multiple features that are often correlated. However, the multivariate aspect and interdependencies among components of a plant system are not considered in the adopted modeling framework. Therefore, a multivariate nonlinear modeling approach for hormesis is proposed, where information regarding correlations among response variables is taken into account through a variance-covariance matrix obtained from univariate residuals. The proposed methodology is evaluated through a Monte Carlo simulation study and an application to experimental data from safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) cultivation. In the simulation study, the multivariate model outperformed the univariate models, exhibiting higher precision, lower bias, and greater accuracy in parameter estimation. These results were also confirmed in the analysis of the experimental data. Using the delta method, mean doses of interest can be derived along with their associated standard errors. This is the first study to address hormesis in a multivariate context, allowing for a better understanding of the biphasic dose-response relationships by considering the interrelationships among various measured characteristics in the plant system, leading to more precise parameter estimates.

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) crop adaptation to residual moisture stress: conserved water use and canopy temperature modulation are better adaptive mechanisms.

Oilseeds with high productivity and tolerance to various environmental stresses are in high demand in the food and industrial sectors. Safflower, grown under residual moisture in the semi-arid tropics, is adapted to moisture stress at certain levels. However, a substantial reduction in soil moisture has a significant impact on its productivity. Therefore, assessing genetic variation for water use efficiency traits like transpiration efficiency (TE), water uptake, and canopy temperature depression (CTD) is essential for enhancing crop adaptation to drought. The response of safflower genotypes (n = 12) to progressive soil moisture depletion was studied in terms of water uptake, TE, and CTD under a series of pot and field experiments. The normalised transpiration rate (NTR) in relation to the fraction of transpirable soil water (FTSW) varied significantly among genotypes. The genotypes A-1, Bhima, GMU-2347, and CO-1 had higher NTR-FTSW threshold values of 0.79 (R2 = 0.92), 0.74 (R2 = 0.96), 0.71 (R2 = 0.96), and 0.71 (R2 = 0.91), respectively, whereas GMU-2644 had the lowest 0.38 (R2 = 0.93). TE was high in genotype GMU-2347, indicating that it could produce maximum biomass per unit of water transpired. At both the vegetative and reproductive stages, significant positive relationships between TE, SPAD chlorophyll metre reading (SCMR) (p < 0.01) and CTD (p < 0.01) were observed under field conditions by linear regression. The genotypes with high FTSW-NTR thresholds, high SCMR, and low CTD may be useful clues in identifying a genotype's ability to adapt to moisture stress. The findings showed that the safflower genotypes A-1, Bhima, GMU-2347, and CO-1 exhibited an early decline and regulated water uptake by conserving it for later growth stages under progressive soil water depletion.

The effect of different fertilisers and planting patterns on the fatty acid profile of safflower oil

The soils of semi-arid regions have serious nutrient deficiencies, and it seems that the qualitative aspects of crops are strongly influenced by fertiliser management and planting patterns. The current experiment was carried out to evaluate the fatty acid composition of safflower oil under the application of different fertilisers (control, farmyard manure at 10 and 20 t ha–1, NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), nano Fe+Zn) and four different planting patterns (planting in-furrow or on-ridge with inter-row distances of 40 cm or 60 cm) in the semi-arid region of north-western Iran (Maragheh). Results showed that all oil compositions significantly responded to fertiliser treatments. Utilisation of farmyard manure (FYM) increased seed oil content, and the highest oil content was recorded in planting on-ridge, which was 18% higher than the control condition. The highest percentage of seed protein was obtained by application of NPK and planting on-ridge with wider inter-row distance. Evaluation of saturated fatty acids (palmitic, stearic, myristic, lauric) showed that the application of high levels of FYM significantly increased these compositions. However, the effect of FYM20 application on main unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid) was much more evident, and it increased iodine value. Taken together, the results of this study indicated a positive and significant effect of the application of high levels of FYM in on-ridge planting with wider row spacing on the qualitative and nutritional aspects of safflower oil.

Development and utility of online knowledge repository of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) in Agropedia platform

The development of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) knowledge repository in the larger platform of Agropedia is discussed in this paper. Agropedia is an open platform which facilitates exchange and delivery of information between the agricultural community through a web portal and mobile phone networks accessible to phones with limited data capability. The reasons and requirements for development of such web portal in general and safflower in particular and the requirement of semantic search in Agropedia were discussed. Safflower knowledge model is one among different knowledge models of cereals, pulses and horticultural crops. The need for development of safflower knowledge model and different steps involved in development, different methods of searching the content were discussed. Extension workers can access the content available in Agropedia web portal to advise the farmers with respect to improved technologies in safflower cultivation for obtaining higher crop productivity.

Sensory characteristics of different stages of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) leaves and leaf powder incorporated products

Safflower leaves from four cultivars during different stages of crop growth (30, 50, 70 and 90 days) wereincorporated to develop two traditional productsi.e.,safflowerleaves(35%)incorporated roti(SFLR) and safflowerleaf powder(15%)incorporated "karampodi" (SLKP). Sensory evaluation was carried out on a 9 point hedonic scale for both the products. Results of sensory evaluation revealed that 35% incorporation of safflower leaves in SFLR and 15% incorporation ofsafflowerleaf powderin SLKP products had high scoresfor overall acceptability and there was not much difference in sensory attributes among the cultivars used in the study. It was observed that safflower leaf powder "karam podi" was liked more in all the sensory parameters as compared to safflower leaves roti. It can also be inferred that fresh leaves from non-spiny varieties such as NARI-6 can be consumed up to 90 days where as spiny varieties of safflower such as Annigeri-1, Manjira and TSF-1 can be well acceptable up to 50 days. The spiny varieties can be consumed up to 70th day also, due to their nutrient composition, but should be incorporated at a level lesser than 35% or can be tested in othersuitable recipes. Spiny varieties ofsafflower leaves during 70 days of crop growth, when used as powder will not have any detrimental effects of sensory properties.

Experimental and in silico evaluation of Carthamus tinctorius L. oil emulgel: a promising treatment for bacterial skin infections.

The current study aimed to develop a topical herbal emulgel containing Carthamus tinctorius L. (CT) oil extract, which has been scientifically proven for its antibacterial and antioxidant activities for the ailment of bacterial skin infections. The CT emulgel was formulated by response surface methodology (RSM) and was evaluated by various parameters like extrudability, spreadability, pH, viscosity, and antibacterial and antioxidant activities. Molecular docking was also performed using AutoDock. Among all formulated CT emulgels, F9 and F8 were optimized. Optimized formulations had shown good spreadability and extrudability characteristics. Sample F8 had % inhibition of 42.131 ± 0.335, 56.720 ± 0.222, and 72.440 ± 0.335 at different concentrations. Sample F9 had % inhibition of 26.312 ± 0.280, 32.461 ± 0.328, and 42.762 ± 0.398 at concentrations of 250 µg/ml, 500 µg/ml, and 1,000 µg/ml, respectively, which shows that both samples F8 and F9 have significant antioxidant potential. Optimized CT emulgels F8 and F9 had significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli at p-value = 0.00, the Emulgel-F8 shows zone of inhibition of 24 mm for E-coli and 19 mm for S-aureus. Emulgel-F9 shows zone of inhibition of 22 mm for E-coli and 15 mm for S-aureus while pure CT- Oil extract shows zone of inhibition of 25 mm for E-coli and 20 mm for S-aureus and ciprofloxacin used as standard shows 36mm zone of inhibition against both E-coli and S-aureus. The comparative investigation through molecular docking binding affinities and interactions of ligands with various target proteins provides insights into the molecular processes behind ligand binding and may have significance for drug discovery and design for the current study. The current study suggests that C. tinctorius L.-based emulgel has good antioxidant and antibacterial activities against E. coli for the treatment of bacterial skin infections.

Preliminary Study of Insect Pests on Carthamus tinctorius L. and their Associated Natural Enemies along the Syrian Coast

Arab, A., A. Y. Ali, M. Zeity, M. Saleh, O. Salman, L. El-Dahhak, R. Darwish and J. Ammar. 2023. Preliminary Study of Insect Pests on Carthamus tinctorius L. and their Associated Natural Enemies along the Syrian Coast. Arab Journal of Plant Protection, 41(3): 258-265. https://doi.org/10.22268/AJPP-41.3.258265 The study was conducted on safflower fields at both Al-Sanoubar (Latakia) and Jamasa (Tartous) Research Stations during 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons. It aimed to identify insect pests and associated natural enemies on the safflower. Results obtained identified 28 insect pest species feeding on different parts of safflower, ten species of sucking insects (Uroleucon sp., Brachycaudus sp., Mzyus persica, Aphis fabae, Lygus sp., Oxycarenus sp., Dionconotus neglectus, Carpocoris mediterraneus, Eurydema ornata and Thrips tabaci), eight lepidopteran species, six species of beetles and four dipteran species (one species of Agromyzidae and three species of Tephritidae). The incidence of fruit flies at Al-Sanoubar station was 49% in the 2019 season. Seven species of predator insects were identified: Coccinella septempunctata, Cheilomenes sp., Hippodamia variegate, Scymnus syriacus, Orius sp., Chrysoperla carnea and Syrphus sp. Three hymenoptera species of parasitoids Bracon spp. and Apanteles sp. were also recorded. Keywords: Safflower, insect pests, natural enemies, Syria

The effect of gibberellic acid application on germination and biochemical indices of deteriorated safflower seed (Carthamus tinctorius) under water stress conditions

The effect of gibberellic acid application on germination and biochemical indices of deteriorated safflower seed (Carthamus tinctorius) under water stress conditions

Effect of sowing dates on physiological characteristics, yield, and quality of Carthamus tinctorius

A field experiment was conducted to measure the physiological characteristics, yield, active ingredient content, and other indicators of Carthamus tinctorius leaves undergoing 13 sowing date treatments. The principal component analysis(PCA) and redundancy analysis were used to analyze the correlation between these indicators to explore the effect of sowing date on the yield and active ingredient content of C. tinctorius in Liupanshan of Ningxia. The results illustrated that the early sowing in autumn and spring had significant effects on leaf photosynthetic parameters, SPAD value, antioxidant enzyme activity, nitrogen metabolism enzyme activity, filament yield, grain yield, and hydroxy safflower yellow A(HYSA) of C. tinctorius. Sowing in mid-November and late March had the best effect. Leaf transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, glutamine synthetase, and glutamate synthase increased by 44.9%, 52.4%, 15.9%, 60.8%, 10.3%, and 38.3%, respectively. The activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase decreased by 10.8%, 4.1%, and 20.9%, respectively. The improvement of photosynthetic physiological characteristics promoted the dry matter accumulation and reproductive growth of C. tinctorius. The yield of filaments and seeds increased by 15.5% and 11.7%, and the yield of HYSA and kaempferol increased by 17.9% and 20.0%. In short, the suitable sowing date can promote the growth and development of C. tinctorius in Liupanshan of Ningxia, and significantly improve the yield and quality, which is conducive to the high quality and efficient production of C. tinctorius.

Improving the Technology of Primary Purification of the Safflower Oil Using Secondary Products of Processing on a Biological Basis.

Safflower oil is a very valuable product for the body and human health. It is rich in macro- and microelements, vitamins and minerals, and also has antioxidant properties. The primary purification of safflower oil is an important stage of its production and directly affects the quality of the final product and its storage ability. Purifying safflower oil using a combination of filtration and sedimentation processes in an experimental cone-shaped centrifuge is a new direction in its processing. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of flax fiber as a filter material for safflower oil. The Akmai variety of the safflower was tested. The results showed that the quality indicators of safflower oil before and after filtration through flax fiber are different. The amount of unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic (18.31 ± 0.874%) and cis-linoleic acid (82.52 ± 1.854%) increased, as well as the content of arginine (2.1), tyrosine (0.57), methionine (0.4), cystine (2.5), tryptophan (2.6), and other amino acids (in oil g per 100 g of protein). The increase in the total amount of phenols (322.12 ± 6 mgEAG/kg of oil) was observed, which directly caused the higher antioxidant activity (42.65 ± 8%) of the safflower oil. These results demonstrate that flax fiber can enrich safflower oil. To find the optimal conditions for safflower oil centrifugation in a cone-shaped sedimentary-filtering centrifuge, the thickness of the flax fiber and the distance between the inner and outer perforated filter rotor were tested. It was found that the optimal and effective thickness of the flax fiber is 1.5 × 107 nm, while the thickness of the sediment is 0.5 × 107 nm.