Effect of seed mixture ratios on yield and oil quality properties in advanced generation lines of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is one of the important potential crops to meet Turkey's vegetable oil needs with its high quality oil in its seeds. In this research, seed mixtures were made in advanced generation safflower lines to benefit from both the natural heterosis effect and the advantages of multi-line varieties. Three safflower lines (BAY-ER 2, BAY-ER 5 and BAY-ER 15) with similar phenological characteristics, but different seed and oil yields were used. Pure, double (1/2 + 1/2) and triple (1/3 + 1/3 + 1/3) seed mixture ratios were grown under open pollination condition. The partial hybrid seeds were planted in randomized block experimental design with three replicates in the following year to evaluate the the agricultural and quality characteristics. Statistically significant differences were found between pure lines and mixtures in terms of plant height, number of branches, number of heads, 1000 grain weight, seed hull ratio, oil ratio, seed and oil yield. Double and triple seed mixtures showed higher yield performance than pure lines, and high mixing efficiency was obtained as 50.7 % from BAY-ER 2 + BAY-ER 15 and 44.0 % from BAY-ER 5+ BAY-ER 15 binary mixtures. All the mixtures gave higher seed yield and oil ratio than their pure lines. While there was no significant difference between lines and mixtures in terms of palmitic and stearic acids, linoleic acid ratios in the lines and oleic acid ratios in the mixtures were found to be slightly higher. As a result, it has been understood that agricultural performance can be increased with different ratios of seed mixtures of a certain number of pure lines in safflower.