Genotypes and sowing dates mediated changes in growth and phenology of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) in non-traditional area of Northern Telangana Zone (NTZ)

Introduction

India is the fourth largest producer of oilseeds in the world in terms of output and is second in cultivated area next to food crops. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is one of the most important oilseed crop owing to its various uses and special qualities. India is the major safflower growing country and contributes about 60 percent of the total world production. In the nation, the crop is mostly farmed in Maharashtra, Karnataka and portions of Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar and other states. The major safflower growing states are Maharashtra and Karnataka, which contribute more than 90% of India's production. India is the largest producer of safflower (2.0 lakh tonnes) in the world with highest acreage (4.3 lakh hectares) but with an average productivity of 465 kg ha -1 (Times of Agriculture today 2025) [15] . In Telangana safflower is growing in an area of 7590 acres with 2732 MT of production. The major reasons for low productivity of safflower is correct cultivar and sowing date has not been selected.

To maximize crop productivity, the right cultivar acts as a pivot around which all other agricultural characteristics are modified. Thus, the first and most important factor influencing crop average yield is selecting an appropriate cultivar. The combination of genetic factors controlling growth and yield potential results in the ability to respond to different agronomical aspects that complement yield, provided all other inputs are adequately supplied. Because the edaphoclimatic circumstances of one location may not apply to another, the appropriate cultivar must be selected for the area. A crucial management element in any cropping system is cultivar selection, which is particularly more important when it comes to the date of crop production (Soleymani et al., 2011) [13] . Not every variety is appropriate for both early and late sowing. Ecological considerations and production methods play a major role in determining the productivity and quality characteristics of safflower. Safflower cultivars and sowing dates have been found to differ based on ecological conditions (Daltalab et al., 2013) [4] . In order to cultivate safflower successfully and affordably in any area, it is important to identify the right types and growth methods. Choosing the right time to plant is an important growing strategy. The date of sowing is one of the key factors that determines yield. To guarantee that the plant grows vegetatively in an environment with adequate temperature, rainfall and day length, it is crucial to choose the right sowing date. According to earlier research, later sowing dates related to lower seed and oil yields (Samanci and Ozkaynak, 2003). Delays in sowing resulted in lower seed yields and fewer seeds per head. According to Akhter et al. (2015) [1] , incorrect vegetative growth and excessive temperatures at later stages of crop growth caused forced maturity and low productivity when seeding was delayed. According to Beech and Norman (1963) [3] , late-sowing safflower plants decreased vegetative vigour and shorter reproductive period were factors in the drop in seed and oil yield. Additionally, selecting the ideal planting date requires a thorough understanding of ecological and environmental growing factors (Khajehpour 1998) [9]

Materials and Methods

The field experiment entitled "Evaluation of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) cultivars under different sowing dates on yield and yield attributes in non-traditional area of Northern Telangana Zone (NTZ)", an experiment was conducted at RARS, Polasa, Jagtial during Rabi, 2022-23. The experiment was laid out in factorial randomized block design with ten treatment combinations by replicating thrice. The treatments includes two i.e., factor-1 having two genotypes G 1: ISF-764, G 2: TSF-1 and factor -2 having five sowing dates D 1: 15 th October, D 2: 30 th October, D 3: 15 th November, D 4: 30 th November, D 5: 15 th December. The soil of the experiment field was slightly alkaline in reaction, sandy clay loams in texture, low in organic carbon (0.43%), low in available nitrogen (179.2 kg ha -1 ) and available phosphorus (9.6 kg ha -1 ) but high in available potassium (310.2 kg ha -1 ). For ensuring good germination, healthy and good quality seeds were used with 20 kg ha -1 with planting geometry of 45 x 20 cm. The recommended dose of fertilizer (40 N + 25 P 2 O 5 kg ha -1 ) was applied in safflower. Full dose of P 2 O 5 and half dose of N were applied at the time of sowing in the furrow below the seed. Remaining half dose of N was applied at stage of crop at 35-40 DAS. Soil moisture was not sufficient for crop growth so three uniform irrigation was given to the crop at rosette stage, flowering stage and at seed development stage. The data was analyzed by the method of "Analysis of Variance" as described by Panse and Sukhatme.

Results and Discussion

The data on mean plant height (cm) recorded at various crop growth stages are presented in Table 1, The periodical height of the plants was measured at rosette stage, flowering stage and at maturity. The increases in height due to different treatments have been given in the table. According to the data, the height of the plants climbed gradually as the crop advanced till harvest. The data presented in Table 1, revealed that different genotypes of safflower showed significant variation in plant height at all growth stages. Significantly more plant height of safflower was observed with genotype TSF-1 at rosette stage (11.9 cm), flowering stage (112.3 cm) and at maturity stage (121.7 cm) compared to genotype ISF-764 at rosette stage (9.5 cm), at flowering stage (80.9 cm) and at maturity stage (90.9 cm). The effect of sowing dates on plant height was found significant at rosette stage and also recorded no significant at flowering stage and maturity stage (Table 1). Maximum plant height was recorded with 30 th October (11.2 cm) sown crop and on par each other with the dates of sowing of 15 th October (10.7 cm), 15 th November (10.5 cm) and 30 th November (10.6 cm), 15 th December (10.5 cm) at rosette stage. Highest plant height was recorded with 30 th October (97.7,108.9 cm) at flowering, maturity stages. Lowest plant height was obtained 15 th December (91.8, 104.5 cm) flowering, maturity stages. Delay in sowing drastically reduced the plant height of the crop due to adverse weather conditions. Soleymani et al., (2011) [13] noted that, early sowing of safflower recorded highest plant height than late sowing. Odivi et al., (2013) [10] reported that, the first sowing date had the maximum plant height compared to other sowing dates. The interaction effect of genotypes and sowing dates of safflower did not show any significant difference in plant height.

Phenology

Genotypes didn't show any significant influence on phenology of safflower. But sowing dates exert significant influence on days taken to attain each phonological stage (

Leaf Area Index (LAI)

Experimental data collected on LAI under different genotypes and sowing dates were analyzed statistically and the results were presented in the Table 3 The data revealed that the effect of genotypes on leaf area index was found to be significant at all stages of crop growth except at maturity stage. At rosette stage and flowering stage, the genotype TSF-1 (0.36 and 3.53) is having highest leaf area index and on par with genotype ISF-764 (0.25 and 2.48). The effect of sowing dates on leaf area index was shows significant at all growth stages except at maturity stage (Table 3 [13] was noted that, early sowing of safflower recorded highest leaf area than late sowing. During the study, LAI was not influenced by the combined effect of genotypes and sowing dates.

Data pertaining to genotypes and sowing dates on dry matter (DM) production was analysed statistically and found to be significant at all the growth stages (Table 4). The data presented in Table 4 revealed that the effect of genotypes on dry matter production (g m -2 ) was found to be significant at all stages of crop growth. Genotype TSF-1 accumulated maximum dry matter at rosette (39.8 g), flowering (1025.4 g) and at maturity (1252.9 g) stages. Minimum dry matter accumulation seen with genotype ISF-764 at rosette (31.6 g), flowering (774.5 g) and at maturity (1007.5 g) stages. During the study, significantly higher dry matter accumulation was observed at all the growth stages with 30 th October (D 2 ) sown crop at rosette (46.5 g), flowering (1158.6 g) and at maturity (1352.1 g). While, lowest dry matter accumulation was noticed with 15 th December (D 5 ) sown crop at rosette (27.6 g), flowering (670.5 g) and at maturity (908.9 g). At all the crop growth stages of safflower the dry matter production was higher under early sown crop i.e., D 2: 30 th October due to favorable weather conditions and lowest dry matter production at all the stages was observed under delayed sowing i.e., D 5: 15 th December. These results were corroborative the findings of Soleymani et al., (2011) [13] . High temperatures during the reproductive stage cause an increase in respiration, which increases the loss of stored food material, reducing fresh weight and decreasing shoot length and dry weight with a corresponding fall in leaf, stem, and pod dry weight (Barla et al., 2020) [2] . While, early sowing has resulted in higher dry matter production might be due to the cumulative effects of higher plant heights and favorable meteorological circumstances, such as longer days and more bright sunshine hours. These factors may have improved photosynthesis, which in turn increased dry matter output. The production of dry matter gradually increased as crop duration increased, while it reduced as sowing was delayed (Hasan et al., 2019) [8] . Interaction effect between genotypes and sowing dates on dry matter production was found to be not significant.

SPAD chlorophyll meter reading (SCMR)

A leaf greenness index is called SPAD. The amount of leaf chlorophyll, which measures the photosynthetic activity of leaves and is used to assess the crop's potential for production, was measured using a SPAD meter. Enhanced photosynthetic efficiency of the crop is indicated by higher chlorophyll concentration in the leaves, which affects crop growth and yield. Data pertaining to genotypes and sowing dates on SPAD chlorophyll meter readings (SCMR) was analysed statistically and found to be significant at all the growth stages (Table 5).

Conclusion

The above results conclude that combination of genotype TSF-1 sown on 15 th and 30 th October recorded higher, Growth parameters like plant height, LAI, dry matter production and SPAD chlorophyll readings. From the study it can be concluded that combination of genotype TSF-1 sown on 15 th and 30 th October performed best among all other treatment combinations.

It is more suitable for Northern Telangana Zone (NTZ).

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