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, T 41, T 100, T 40 short. 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 highest yield in oil in the 1 st time (March) was in the T 10 line – 920 kg/ha. The line noted for its yield in the 2 nd time (April) for its highest oil yield in safflower was the T27 line with 310 kg/ha. In the 3 rd time (May) we noted the T10 line with oil yield of 195 kg/ha. Safflower oil yield depends on the achene yield level. Sowing time also has an impact on oil content and achene yield, as well as achene oil levels.

safflower; cultivars; yield; oil

Presentation: oral