Search Results (48)

In arid regions, yields from safflower plants are appreciably lower than normal. Foliar application of zinc or glycine betaine has been reported to increase yields in other grown crops. A field experiment was conducted to compare the specific effects and mechanisms of foliar-applied zinc or glycine betaine on safflower yield in this study. Seven foliar spraying treatments were implemented, including a control (spraying water), three concentrations of zinc sulfate (Zn1: 0.6 g L⁻¹, Zn2: 0.8 g L⁻¹, Zn3: 1.0 g L⁻¹), and three concentrations of glycine betaine (GB1: 0.23 g L⁻¹, GB2: 0.47 g L⁻¹, GB3: 0.70 g L⁻¹). Results showed that Zn1 treatment had the highest grain yield at 2197 kg ha⁻¹, which was 45.4% higher than the control. GB3 treatment resulted in a grain yield at 2127 kg ha⁻¹, which was 40.8% higher than the control. The yield increase mechanism for the zinc treatment was primarily due to optimized plant morphology and improved photosynthetic performance, while glycine betaine improved yield mainly through antioxidant regulation. This study has important implications for water-saving and sustainable agriculture development in arid regions. Full article

This study presents an innovative, resource-efficient apparatus for safflower oil production, designed for small- and medium-sized enterprises. The developed equipment integrates grinding and pressing into a single operation, optimizing extraction efficiency while reducing operational costs and processing time. A comparative analysis of the physicochemical and fatty acid profiles of safflower oil produced using traditional and combined grinding-pressing methods confirmed the superiority of the new approach. Optimal process parameters were identified: pressing time (τ = 3.41 min) and degree of grinding (i = 0.25), which resulted in higher oil yield and improved product quality. Multiple regression and sensitivity analyses revealed that temperature is the most significant factor positively influencing oil yield, whereas excessive grinding intensity and pressure negatively impact extraction efficiency. The results of the multiple regression analysis demonstrated that pressing time had a statistically significant impact on oil yield (p < 0.05). Although temperature was identified as the most influential factor overall, the significance of pressing time indicates that this variable also contributes meaningfully to the extraction efficiency. The regression model revealed a nonlinear (quadratic) relationship between pressing time and oil yield, suggesting that there is an optimal pressing duration. Beyond this optimal point, further increases in pressing time may result in a decline in yield due to over-compression or the release of undesired compounds. Interestingly, pressing time was found to have no significant effect on oil yield, suggesting that optimizing temperature and pressure is more critical for enhancing efficiency. The developed apparatus not only enhances oil quality, particularly its fatty acid composition, but also offers a scalable, sustainable solution for improving safflower oil production. These findings highlight the feasibility of integrating grinding and pressing, paving the way for advancements in cost-effective, high-yield oil extraction technologies. Full article

The growing demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly materials has highlighted the need for innovative alternatives to traditional plastics and composites. This study explores the development of polyurethane-based biocomposites synthesized using hydrogenated safflower oil (HSO), hydrogen gas, and a nickel catalyst. Safflower oil was hydrogenated via a catalytic hydrogenation mechanism, transforming carbon–carbon double bonds into saturated fatty acids. The process, optimized using response surface methodology (RSM), was conducted at 225 °C, 8 atmospheres, and 6 h, achieving a yield of 67%. Hydrogenation improved the physical and chemical properties of the biocomposites. Biocomposites were synthesized by combining HSO with methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) as a crosslinker. Optimal performance was observed at 2.5% HSO content, enhancing material properties. However, higher HSO content negatively affected biocomposite density and hardness, and surface morphology analyses revealed that increased HSO content led to irregular pore structures. These findings underscore the balance required in material composition to achieve optimal performance. This study presents a novel approach to producing hydrogenation-modified HSO-based biocomposites, providing an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative for industries such as packaging, construction, and automotive applications. The advancements contribute to reducing environmental impact and enhancing the performance of renewable material technologies. Full article

Safflower is a multipurpose, underutilized annual crop that could be an alternate oilseed crop for normal and marginal lands around the world. Zinc as a nutrient plays a critical role in enzyme activity and nutrient absorption, leading to improved productivity and quality of oilseeds. However, imbalances between NPK and Zn can result in antagonistic interactions, leading to nutrient deficiencies. Therefore, this field experiment at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, was conducted to explore the synergistic effects of NPK and Zn on safflower growth, yield, and oil content. Safflower accession (UAF-SAFF-100) was treated with ten different combinations of zinc and NPK having different concentrations, i.e., T₀ = control, T₁ = NPK at 40:40:40 kg ha⁻¹, T₂ = NPK at 50:50:40 kg ha⁻¹, T₃ = NPK at 60:60:40 kg ha⁻¹, T₄ = NPK at 70:70:40 kg ha⁻¹, T₅ = NPK at 80:80:40 kg ha⁻¹, T₆ = T₁ + zinc at 7.5 kg ha⁻¹, T₇ = T₂ + zinc at 7.5 kg ha⁻¹, T₈ = T₃ + zinc at 7.5 kg ha⁻¹, T₉ = T₄ + zinc at 7.5 kg ha⁻¹, and T₁₀ = T₅ + zinc at 7.5 kg ha⁻¹. The results indicated that the application of T₉ (NPK @ 70:70:40 kg/ha⁻¹ + zinc @ 7.5 kg/ha⁻¹) showed the most promising results in terms of growth and yield attributes. This treatment significantly improved key metrics such as capitulum diameter, the number of capitula per plant, seed yield, petal yield, and oil content. Thus, this treatment (T₉) is proposed as an effective strategy for enhancing safflower growth and productivity, particularly in semi-arid regions. This study underscores the importance of optimizing nutrient management to achieve superior crop performance and suggests that tailored NPK and Zn applications can be a promising approach to maximizing safflower yield and oil quality. Full article

Vegetable oils are crucial for the human diet, providing energy and essential fatty acids. This study investigates the formulation of a high-quality cold-pressed vegetable oil blend from rapeseed, sunflower, sesame, and safflower, chosen for their agronomic benefits, cost-effectiveness, and reduced environmental impact. For the first time, this study is carried out in order to enhance the nutritional profile of these blend oils compared to commercial oils. The study’s results showed that all formulated blend oils had higher total polyphenol and flavonoid content. Specifically, the blend of 1/2 rapeseed, 1/4 sunflower, 1/8 sesame, and 1/8 safflower had an oil yield ranging from 37 to 39% and was rich in total polyphenols (18 mg GAE/100 g), total flavonoids (2 mg/g), antioxidant activities (52%), oleic acid (46.4%), and saturated fatty acids (11%), with a balanced omega-6/omega-3 ratio (2.5). Consuming this blend oil offers a healthier choice rich in nutrients and natural antioxidants. This could open new market opportunities and cater to the growing demand for healthier oil options, especially since it is extracted without a refining process. Further research could focus on the sensory attributes and consumer acceptance of these blend oils to ensure market success, noting that sesame and sunflower involve agreeable pronounced aromas. Full article

Considering the increase in market requests for bio-products, it is necessary to study the possibility of cultivating industrial crops in areas still untapped to extend the total cultivation surface, reducing land competition with food crops. With this aim in mind, we studied the harvesting performance and cost, and seed losses of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) cultivation during two growing seasons and in three different locations: (A) an agroforestry field, (B) a marginal field and (C) a dedicated field utilized as a control. The overall efficiency of the cultivation system was higher in location C in respect to the other two fields. The yield was 12–22% and 21–26% higher in location C compared to locations B and A, respectively, while seed losses were 40–33% and 28–50% lower in C compared to locations A and B, as well as the total harvesting costs, which were 45% and 31–35% lower in location C compared to locations A and B, respectively. Despite this, the results highlighted how the reduction in cultivation efficiency given by limiting factors was lower compared to that of other crops, highlighting the possibility of cultivating Safflower for bio-products’ production on alternative lands. Full article

Zinc deficiency is one of the most widespread nutritional problems, affecting nearly one-third of the world population. In addition, it is known that zinc deficiency not only reduces crop yield but also its quality. The effect of different methods of zinc application on the growth, yield, and quality of safflower seeds under regular irrigation and interruption of irrigation from flowering to harvest (82 and 80 DAS in the first and second years, respectively) was evaluated. Zinc sulfate was applied in both soil and foliar methods. The zinc sulfate treatments include no zinc sulfate, soil application of 20, 40, and 60 kg ha⁻¹ at the planting stage; spraying 2.5, 5, and 7.5 g L⁻¹ in the rosette stage; and spraying 2.5, 5, and 7.5 g L⁻¹ in the flowering stage. The end-season drought caused a decrease in the chlorophyll index, leaf area index, relative water content, plant height, yield components, biological yield, seed yield, harvest index, seed oil content, oil harvest index, and seed element content compared to regular irrigation. The decrease in yield occurred with a decrease in the capitol number and diameter, seed number per capitol, and 1000-seed weight. The severity of the damage of the end-season drought stress in the second year was higher than in the first year due to the higher temperatures and the decrease in the rainfall. In both years, the application of zinc sulfate in different ways had an increasing effect on the studied traits in both normal and stress conditions. The application of zinc sulfate reduced the negative effects of unfavorable environmental conditions and improved the yield and nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and iron element content in the seed. In both application methods of zinc sulfate, the increment in the zinc sulfate concentration decreased the seed phosphorus content. However, the phosphorous content was more than that of the treatment of non-zinc application. The application of zinc increased the biological, seed, and oil yield of the treated plants, but the seed and oil yield were more affected. This effect was shown in the seed and oil harvest index increment. Under regular irrigation, higher concentrations of zinc sulfate enhanced plant performance, but under stress conditions, medium and lower concentrations were more effective. The highest 1000-seed weight and potassium and zinc content were obtained by spraying zinc sulfate at 5 g L⁻¹ in the flowering stage under normal irrigation conditions. A comparison of the two methods of applying zinc sulfate showed that foliar spraying was more effective than soil application in improving the seed yield. The soil application is more effective on biological yield than seed yield. Full article

Studying green manure in several returning methods to enhance soil fertility and crop benefits is a strong foundation for cropland nutrient management. However, how different types of green manures and their variable doses affect the efficacy of applied manures, either buried or mulched, remain overlooked. The objective of this study was to optimize green manure management to enhance soil fertility and maize biomass using five types of green manures (white mustard, forest rye, fiddleneck, sufflower, and pea) in two different doses (low, 5 g per pot, and high, 10 g per pot), which were either buried or mulched before and after maize sowing. Results revealed that total carbon content increased due to green manure treatments, representing a 10% increase over control, particularly through buried w. mustard (10% increase before maize cultivation) and mulched safflower and pea (12% and 11% increase after maize cultivation over control). Dry maize aboveground biomass yields also improved across all variants, with buried mustard yielding 18.4 g·plant⁻¹ (compared to 8.6 g·plant⁻¹ in the control), mulched mustard yielding 16.4 g·plant⁻¹, and buried pea yielding 17.8 g·plant⁻¹. Green mulching generally acidified the soil (pH 5.71 compared to 6.21 in the control), except for buried fiddleneck (pH 6.39 after maize cultivation) at a high dose of manures. Carbon-mineralizing enzyme activities (dehydrogenase and β-glucosidase) were significantly increased by green manures, with buried fiddleneck showing a 22.6% and 20.6% increase over the control, and mulched fiddleneck showing a 24.5% and 22.4% increase under high doses. The study suggests that partially decomposed and mineralized mulched biomass may induce a negative priming effect on carbon-mineralizing enzymes due to a decrease in the C/N ratio of the soil. It emphasizes that the nutrient content and stoichiometry of green manures, alongside soil characteristics such as the C/N ratio, are critical factors for sustainable soil management and carbon sequestration. These findings underscore the need for careful selection and management of green manures to optimize soil health and carbon-storage outcomes. Full article

This study aims to improve press equipment for safflower oil production by using a mechanism that optimizes pressure distribution within screw turns. A detailed analysis of the main components of the produced safflower oil was performed, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative assessments. Through the exploration of dependencies governing the safflower oil pressing process on the screw press, the optimal parameters were determined. As a result of the research, the optimal diaphragm gap between the gape cylinder and the pressing screw was determined, with the optimal oil yield percentage achieved at ω = 6.2 rad/s and δ = 5 mm. The study also compared the performance of the existing Dream Modern ODM-01 screw press and its upgraded version by analyzing the extracted oil. The results reveal changes in the quantitative and qualitative composition of the main oil components following the operation of the existing and the modernized screw presses. For instance, the amount of unsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid (7.7 ± 0.566%), linoleic acid (85.3 ± 1.185%), and linolenic acid (1.2 ± 0.223%), increased. There was an increase in the presence of inorganic substances in safflower oil: iron (0.023 ± 0.031 mg/kg), phosphorus (0.086 ± 0.059 mg/kg), silicium (0.136 ± 0.075 mg/kg), and others. The findings of this study hold significant commercial value and offer promising prospects for global market implementation. Full article

Safflower is known as a tolerant plant to abiotic stress factors. This study was conducted to introduce some physiological indices to improve drought-tolerant safflower genotypes for cultivation in marginal and arid areas. Six safflower genotypes were studied for two years (2017–2019) in the East Azarbaijan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Centre of Iran under non-stressed and low-water conditions from flowering to seed maturity. The occurrence of water deficits led to a significant decrease in relative water content (RWC), stomatal conductance (gs), osmotic adjustment (Oadj), water potential (WP) and agronomic water use efficiency (WUEa) and an increase in the water stress index (CWSI). In addition, the values of these traits differed significantly between the safflower genotypes. The correlations between the physiological traits and seed yield were significant. The regression relationships between seed yield and the above traits showed that CWSI, WP and WUEa had a strong relationship with seed yield under normal (R² = 0.854, 0.801 and 0.856, respectively) and water deficit conditions (R² = 0.931, 0.877 and 0.900, respectively). It can be concluded that the CWSI, WP and WUEa indices are able to select high-yielding and drought-tolerant safflower genotypes for the late season. Among the components of seed yield, the number of capitula per plant (r = 0.86) and seeds per capitula (r = 0.92), which were positively and significantly correlated with seed yield, played the main roles in the formation of seed yield. The Golemehr and Mec.295 genotypes achieved higher seed yields under normal (4676 and 4961 kg h⁻¹, respectively) and water deficit conditions (3211 and 3385 kg h⁻¹, respectively) and can be recommended for cultivation in marginal and arid areas. Full article

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is a multipurpose minor crop consumed by developed and developing nations around the world with limited research funding and genetic resources. Genomic selection (GS) is an effective modern breeding tool that can help to fast-track the genetic diversity preserved in genebank collections to facilitate rapid and efficient germplasm improvement and variety development. In the present study, we simulated four GS strategies to compare genetic gains and inbreeding during breeding cycles in a safflower recurrent selection breeding program targeting grain yield (GY) and seed oil content (OL). We observed positive genetic gains over cycles in all four GS strategies, where the first cycle delivered the largest genetic gain. Single-trait GS strategies had the greatest gain for the target trait but had very limited genetic improvement for the other trait. Simultaneous selection for GY and OL via indices indicated higher gains for both traits than crossing between the two single-trait independent culling strategies. The multi-trait GS strategy with mating relationship control (GS_GY + OL + Rel) resulted in a lower inbreeding coefficeint but a similar gain compared to that of the GS_GY + OL (without inbreeding control) strategy after a few cycles. Our findings lay the foundation for future safflower GS breeding. Full article

Climate variability is a major challenge concerning food security; therefore, there is a need for pragmatic solutions to improve agricultural production. Henceforth, this study was planned to optimize the planting time of exotic safflowers under the prevailing conditions in Faisalabad, Pakistan. A study was executed by employing a split-plot design with six safflower accessions and five sowing dates ranging from 31 October 2019 to 31 December 2019. The results of the experimental safflower accession PI-198990 produced significant seed yields (2432 kg ha⁻¹, 2772 kg ha⁻¹ and 2366 kg ha⁻¹) when sown on 30 November 2019, 15 December 2019, and 31 December 2019, respectively. On the other hand, on 31 October 2019 and 30 November 2019, sown safflower accessions PI-208677 and PI-250187 were the best performers, respectively. However, a higher achene oil percentage (31.5% and 30.8%) was noted in accessions PI-250187 and PI-314650 when sown on 31 December 2019 and 15 December 2019, respectively. The highest oleic acid content (22.92% and 22.83%) was determined in accession PI-314650 when planted on 30 November 2019 and 15 December 2019, respectively, whereas a higher linoleic acid content was observed on 31 October 2019 and 30 November 2019. Stability analysis showed that safflower accession PI-210834 was the most stable under all sowing environments, followed by PI-314650. Correlation analysis showed that oil percentage showed a negative correlation with phenological traits and growing degree days, and oil yield showed a strong positive relationship with heads, seed yield, biological yield, thousand seed weight, and harvest index. Full article

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is an ancient oilseed crop of interest due to its diversity of end-use industrial and food products. Proteomic and metabolomic profiling of its organs during seed development, which can provide further insights on seed quality attributes to assist in variety and product development, has not yet been undertaken. In this study, an integrated proteome and metabolic analysis have shown a high complexity of lipophilic proteins and metabolites differentially expressed across organs and tissues during seed development and petal wilting. We demonstrated that these approaches successfully discriminated safflower reproductive organs and developmental stages with the identification of 2179 unique compounds and 3043 peptides matching 724 unique proteins. A comparison between cotyledon and husk tissues revealed the complementarity of using both technologies, with husks mostly featuring metabolites (99%), while cotyledons predominantly yielded peptides (90%). This provided a more complete picture of mechanisms discriminating the seed envelope from what it protected. Furthermore, we showed distinct molecular signatures of petal wilting and colour transition, seed growth, and maturation. We revealed the molecular makeup shift occurring during petal colour transition and wilting, as well as the importance of benzenoids, phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, and pigments. Finally, our study emphasizes that the biochemical mechanisms implicated in the growing and maturing of safflower seeds are complex and far-reaching, as evidenced by AraCyc, PaintOmics, and MetaboAnalyst mapping capabilities. This study provides a new resource for functional knowledge of safflower seed and potentially further enables the precision development of novel products and safflower varieties with biotechnology and molecular farming applications. Full article

Safflower is a multipurpose crop with several uses that can offer benefits to rainfed cereal-based cropping systems due to its tolerance to cold, drought, salinity, and its reduced need for agricultural inputs. Safflower requires good weed control for optimum yields because it is a very poor competitor with weeds, especially at the early growth stage, but registered pre-emergence herbicides are not available. This research investigated the effects of several pre-emergence herbicides on weed control and the yield of safflower in central Italy, through two field experiments in 2019 and 2020. Aclonifen, metazachlor, s-metolachlor, propyzamide, and metribuzin were applied as pre-emergence herbicides. The main weeds were the following: Papaver rhoeas L., Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronq., and Ammi majus L. in experiment 1, and wild sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in experiment 2. Metazachlor and metribuzin gave the highest phytotoxicity on safflower in both experiments, with values ranging from 48% to 75% and from 30% to 75% (in a scale of 0–100%), respectively, and seem to be not advisable as pre-emergence herbicides. Aclonifen, s-metolachlor, and propyzamide can be considered selective and safe to the safflower, showing the lowest values of phytotoxicity that ranged from 0 to 10%. Metazachlor and s-metolachlor gave the highest total weed control with values of 92% and 97%, respectively. Full article

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. Full article