Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), as an oil plant, has been known since ancient times. It is cultivated in U.S.A., Israel, Morocco, Spain, Italy, France, Pakistan, Tunisia, India, and Australia. Safflower has been cultivated mainly for the edible oil obtained from its seeds.It is mentioned that safflower oil has wide uses in the pharmaceutical industry, due to its purgative and anti-rheumatism effects. It does not result in an increase of the cholesterol level in the blood.Safflower flowers have atonic properties in cough.Pigments of safflower flowers are particularly important because they leave no toxic residues in coloured products. Pigments are synthesised in the root where, during vegetation, they migrate towards leading tissues towards the petals.Carthamine is one of the most valuable non-toxic compounds used in the food industry or in the textiles industry. Results obtained recently in China concern the use of safflower flowers-based medicines with good effects on coronary diseases and on angina pectoris, curing 75.6% of the total patients treated. The incidence of re-occurrence of cardiac crises as well as of side-effects is rarer than in the case of nitro-glycerine-based medicines.In order to reach the goals of our research, we used 12 safflower lines obtained through individual selection from a population of Timişoara preserved in the didactic field of the Plant Cultivation Technologies department. To emphasise the yielding capacity of some new lines of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) under study, we organised, in 2007, a bi-factorial experiment in which experimental factors were as follows: Factor A – sowing time - 1 st time - MARCH, - 2 nd time - APRIL , - 3 rd time  - MAY ; Factor B – safflower lines: Population of Timişoara  -  T 5, T 6, T 9,  T 10, T 27,  T 33,  T  36, T 40 short, T 40 long,  T 41, T 100. The experiment was set after the randomised block method. The experimental variants were set with three replications with randomisation of the Factor B (safflower lines). Research carried out pointed out the impact of sowing time on yield as a result of testing new lines of safflower. The best production of safflower achenes in the 1 st time (March) was in the T.33 line – 2,186 kg/ha, i.e. an increase of 220 kg/ha compared to the control (Population of Timişoara). In the 2 nd time (April), we noted the T.27 line characterised by a longer size, and in which we obtained an increase in yield of 507 kg/ha compared to the local Population of Timişoara. The line we noted in the 3 rd time (May) for the highest yield of achenes was the T10 line with 520 kg/ha.  We could note that the highest yields of achenes in safflower were in the 1 st time in 2007 in the conditions of Timişoara.

safflower; cultivars; yield

Presentation: oral