Effect of water stress, zeolite and salicylic acid foliar application on some agronomic and physiological traits of spring safflower.

Dissertation for M.Sc.

Agriculture

Effect of water stress, zeolite and salicylic acid foliar application on some agronomic and physiological traits of spring safflower

1: General:

1-1: Introduction:

Environmental stresses are the most important factors reducing the yield of agricultural products worldwide. If environmental stresses did not occur, the actual performance should be equal to the potential performance of the plants; While in many crops, the average yield of plants is less than 10-20% of their yield potential (Kafi and Mahdavi Damghani, 1379). In certain parts of the globe, due to the specific geographical location, stress-causing factors have a more negative effect on the production of agricultural products, and agriculture in those areas is carried out with higher costs and lower efficiency. Iran is one of the countries where important non-living stresses such as drought, salinity, temperature, etc. have caused a decrease in yield, loss of soil fertility, and in some cases the impossibility of continuing agriculture. Contrary to the severe damage of stress factors on the performance of agricultural products in our country, there is little history of research on agriculture under stress, and generally agricultural research has been carried out under minimal stress conditions. While farmers usually cannot provide such conditions, this issue has caused a sharp difference between the performance of agricultural and garden plants in the conditions of research stations and farmers' fields. This research was also carried out in the field of drought stress in order to help farmers and researchers in the country who are working on oil and strategic plants. Drought stress is known as one of the most common abiotic factors that crop plants experience. In areas where the amount of annual rainfall has decreased and its distribution does not have a suitable pattern, drought is the most important environmental stress that severely reduces crop production. Due to the decrease in annual rainfall and the increase in dryness and air temperature, the use of suitable plant species and improved cultivars that have optimal performance and are also tolerant to water stress conditions, makes it possible to make better use of the available water resources and leads to the development of the cultivated area of ??these plants and the increase of production efficiency (Richard and Bergman, 1997) and (Abolhasani and Saeedi, 2015). Despite the fact that only a few main crops have the largest share in food production in the world, the important role of many other crop species should not be ignored (Daju and Mundel, 1996). Saffron is one of the plants that has valuable features in terms of its nativeness and adaptability to the climatic conditions prevailing in the country, in addition to its tolerance to the conditions of limited humidity and salinity and the possibility of spring and autumn cultivation, along with its useful role in crop rotation, requires more studies to better understand this plant and its potential, as well as to know its best management options, especially in hot and dry areas (Zinli, 2018; Behdani and Jami Al-Ahmadi, 1387).

1-2: History:

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is an annual plant of the chicory family (Asteraccae) which has been cultivated since ancient times as a side crop and with the aim of producing color from its flowers, in different regions of Iran such as Khorasan. It has been cultivated in Azerbaijan and Isfahan (Khajepour, 2013). Saffron is one of the native plants of Iran, and the presence of wild types of saffron in different parts of the country shows the high adaptability of this plant to the climatic conditions of the country, in fact, it can be considered as one of the forgotten plants (Zinli, 2018). This plant has a seed yield potential of more than 4 tons per hectare, and a seed yield of more than 2 tons per hectare is considered a favorable yield. The average yield of safflower in the crop year of 2007-2008 in the world was 1847 kg per hectare (Anonymous, 2008). Due to its resistance to drought, safflower is nowadays considered as a crop plant in the rotation of the drylands in the mountainous regions of the country (Akhtarbeg and Pala, 2001).

The different wild types that are scattered throughout the country show the high compatibility of this oil plant with the climate of our country (Amidi et al., 2008).In addition to using winter and spring precipitation, winter types are also highly tolerant to pests and diseases and have higher performance than spring types (Amidi and Ahmadi, 2010). Also, as a drought-resistant oil plant, it can be cultivated in dry areas of the country where the yield of other crops is low (Nasseri, 1375).

The increasing world population in the last few decades and their need for energy resources, including vegetable oil, requires that more attention be paid to increasing the area under cultivation and increasing the yield of oil plants such as safflower. This is despite the fact that Iran is one of the countries where the planting of some oil seeds such as sesame, castor, safflower and sunflower is very old. According to the available statistics, the per capita consumption of vegetable oil is about 17 kg per person due to the application of rationing in Iran. Therefore, considering the country's population of more than 70 million, about 1,190,000 tons of oil are needed annually. Unfortunately, currently more than 80% of vegetable oil consumed in the country is imported. Saffron is widely cultivated in many countries due to its many capabilities, such as high adaptability, tolerance to cold, tolerance to drought, high salinity and alkalinity of the soil, and numerous uses. The oil of this plant is of high quality, the amount of linoleic acid is between 73 and 85% (the highest amount among oil plants (Nasseri, 1370).

The height of the safflower stem depends on factors such as cultivar and environmental conditions. The number and location of the secondary branches varies depending on the environmental conditions, the growth space (planting density) and the genotype of the plant. In general, when the height of the main stem is When it reaches 20 to 40 cm, the branches branch off from its upper part. Each layer contains 20 to 120 tubular florets, each of which can produce one seed. The amount of oil that can be extracted from safflower seeds can reach up to 45% depending on the variety (Zinli, 1378; Aliari et al., 1379). The remaining meal is somewhat bitter, but mixed By mixing it with sugar beet meal, animals can eat it willingly (Aliari et al., 1370). Safflower is one of the important oilseeds that is cultivated in the dry areas of Iran. It can be planted at altitudes less than 1000 to 2300 meters above sea level, but at high altitudes, its yield and amount of oil are reduced. Its 1000 seed weight varies from 25 to 50 grams depending on different regions and its oil content varies from 30 to 36%. In rainfed areas, its yield varies from 500 to 1200 kg/hectare. From an economic point of view, safflower cultivation has a great potential to compete with common crops in dry areas such as wheat, barley, lentils and chickpeas. Saffron is drought tolerant. Therefore, the spring or autumn cultivation of safflower in rainy conditions, which has an equivalent or even greater yield than wheat, can be planted in these areas alongside crops (cereals) or can be alternated with wheat instead of wheat and sorghum. Today, safflower is produced due to the three main purposes of oil, food use and poultry nutrition, of course, the most important purpose is to produce oil from its seeds. There are two types of unsaturated fatty acids in safflower, oleic unsaturated fatty acid, which is used in cooking food and linoleic unsaturated fatty acid, which is used as a drying agent in paints and electric oils and polishes. Safflower is an important international oil plant that has a good production potential in low-fertilizer cultivation systems, especially in organic cultivation systems that have acceptable production with low nutrient consumption. Although there is little information about the nutritional requirements of this plant (Abbadi et al., 2008a).  

Abstract

In order to study the effect of water stress, taking zeolite and salicylic acid on yield and yield components of spring safflower, experimental crop in 2010 as a split factorial based on a randomized complete block design with 4 replications was performed.