Development of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) as a New Winter Crop for the Texas High Plains

¹J.S. Oswalt, ^1,2D.L. Auld, ^1,2, ³R.C. Johnson, ¹Zach Hinds,

and  ⁴Paxton Payton

¹Plant and Soil Science Department, Texas Tech University,

Lubbock, TX 79409-2122; ²Texas AgriLife Research, Lubbock, TX 79403; ³USDA-ARS, Western Regional Plant Introduction Station, Pullman, WA 99164-6407; ⁴USDA-ARS Plant Stress & Water Conservation Laboratory, Lubbock, TX 79415.

There is a need for crops that produce vegetable oil for biofuels, as well as a crop that is very water use efficient.  This would be especially important if that crop could be grown during winter months to reduce the impact on the Ogallala aquifer during summer months when irrigation demand peaks. The purpose of this research was to evaluate accessions of safflower obtained from the USDA-ARS germplasm collection at Pullman, WA for winter hardiness, seed yield, oil content, fatty acid composition, and eventually to develop lines for production in West Texas. On September 15, 2006, thirty accessions of potential winter hardy safflower were planted in a randomized complete block design at Lubbock, TX. Eight accessions of safflower survive the winter of 2006-2007 and produced good seed yields. On September 15, 2007, open pollinated seed of the eight selected accessions were planted for evaluation in 2007-2008.  The Plant Introductions were evaluated for winter survival, oil content, fatty acid composition, and seed yield.   Seven of the eight accessions exhibited a minimum 80% stand survival through the winter of 2007-2008 at Lubbock Texas.   The first freeze occurred October 23, 2007 and the lowest recorded temperature for that winter was in early February of -15^oC.  The highest yield was 3300 kg/ha of cleaned seed.  Average oil content of the accessions ranged from 22-28% but individual plant selections had over 30% oil. Fatty acid analysis showed the eight accessions had an average of 75% linoleic acid and 15% oleic acid.  As a result of this initial research, open pollinated seed of the eight accessions were grown in replicated trials in the winters of 2008-2009, 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.  In both of the last two years, winter survival of the eight accessions was reduced at the more Northern test locations.  Crosses have been made to produce lines with increased winter survival, high seed yield, higher oleic acid content, higher oil content, improved foliar disease resistance and early maturity.   This research was designed to produce the winter safflower varieties necessary to allow commercial production of this new oilseed crop in West Texas.