GENETIC VARIABILITY, YIELD PERFORMANCE AND TRAIT ASSOCIATIONS AMONG SAFFLOWER (CARTHAMUS TINCTORIUS L.) GENOTYPES

Abstract

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is an important oilseed crop with considerable potential for edible oil production and adaptation to arid and semi-arid environments. The present study evaluated the genetic variability, yield performance, and trait associations among ten safflower genotypes. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications at the experimental field of the Oilseeds Research Institute, Tandojam, Pakistan, during the 2025-26 growing season. Data were recorded for days to 75% flowering, days to 90% maturity, plant height, number of capitula plant^-1, seed index, seed yield plot^-1 (g), seed yield ha^-1 (kg), and oil content. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) among genotypes for all studied traits, indicating substantial genetic variability. Genotype N-673 exhibited superior performance with the highest number of capitula plant^-1 (22.00), seed index (4.173 g), seed yield ha⁻¹ (880.83 kg), and oil content (34.92%), whereas the genotype PI-258414 was the earliest flowering (115.67 days) and maturing (143.67 days). Correlation coefficient analysis showed that seed index was positively and highly significantly correlated with seed yield (r = 0.675^**) and oil content (r = 0.838^**), while number of capitula plant^-1 was positively and significantly associated with seed yield (r = 0.416^*). The results suggested that seed index and number of capitula plant^-1 are effective indirect selection criteria for improving seed yield and oil content. Therefore, N-673 is recommended for multi-location evaluation and varietal development, whereas PI-258414 may be used as a valuable parent in breeding programs for early-maturing and climate-resilient safflower cultivars.