The effect of mulch applications and water deficit applied in different growth periods on yield and quality parameters in safflower (carthamus tinctorius L.)

In this study, the effects of mulch applications throughout the growing season on the yield, quality, and water use characteristics of safflower under limited irrigation conditions were investigated. The experiment was conducted with three replications at the Faculty of Agriculture, Isparta University of Applied Sciences, at the Education, Research, and Application Farm, using a split-plot design in randomized blocks. Three different mulch treatments (M0, M1, M2) and ten different irrigation treatments (I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7, I8, I9, I10) were evaluated in the trial. According to the results, the highest plant water consumption (ET) was recorded in the M0I1 combination in the first and second years, with 797.31 mm and 687.10 mm, respectively. In comparison, the lowest ET was determined in the M1I8 combination with 314.82 mm in the first year and 247.82 mm in the second year. The highest seed yield was calculated as 1077.02 kg da-1 in the M0I1 combination in the first year and 740.01 kg da-1 in the M1I1 combination in the second year. The highest oil yield was obtained from the M0I1 combination in the first year, at 339.07 kg da-1, and from the M1I10 combination in the second year, at 202.39 kg da-1. While the effects of mulch applications and irrigation treatments on palmitic acid content were not statistically significant, the lowest stearic acid content was observed in the M2I2 combination in the first year and the I1 and I7 irrigation treatments in the second year. The highest oleic acid content was recorded in the M2I7 combination in the first year and the M2I5 combination in the second year. In contrast, the highest linoleic acid content was found in the M1I9 combination in the first year and the M1I7 combination in the second year. Although plastic mulch applications increased yield parameters in the first year, the high cost limited profitability. In the second year of the experiment, economic losses occurred in all treatments due to climatic conditions and low market prices.