Living Crop Museum

Home

© Wilmington College 2005 

 Other Grain Crops

Common Name:

 Safflower

Latin Name:

 Carthamus tinctorius

Variety:

 landrace

Crop Origin:

 Mediterranean

Type:

 Annual grain - oil

Date Planted:

 8 June, 2005

Growth Stages in Ohio

Safflower Jan 1 06.JPG (3535286 bytes) Safflower feb 6 06.JPG (1999843 bytes) Safflower March 4 06.JPG (3580520 bytes) Safflower Apr 4 06.JPG (3485167 bytes) Safflower May 5 06.JPG (3183079 bytes) Safflower 3 June 05.JPG (3306475 bytes)
January February March April May June
Safflower 1 July 05.JPG (3578544 bytes) Safflower 7aug05.JPG (3036126 bytes) Safflower 3 sep 05.JPG (3610598 bytes) Safflower 1 oct 05.JPG (3041620 bytes) Safflower 4 Nov 05.JPG (3595970 bytes) Safflower 2 dec 05.JPG (3869603 bytes)
July August

September

 October November December

Cultivation in Ohio

Primary Uses:

 Grain

 Planting:

 Should be planted in late April to early May into moist soil at a depth of 2 to 3 inches.  For plantings in rows of 20 to 30 inches, most of the conventional-type row planters can be adapted for safflower.` Safflower can also be drilled in 12 inch rows using the same seeding rate.

 Seeding Rate:

 20 to 30 lb/acre

Fertility:

 High yields can be obtained when 100 to 120 lb/acre of nitrogen are available.  Phosphorous is commonly applied at a rate of 20 lb/acre on medium range soils.  Potassium only needs to be applied to low level soils.  Prefers a pH around 6.0.

Insects:

 Cutworm, Black bean aphid, Western flower thrips, Wireworm, Lygus bug, Grasshopper, Green peach aphid

Diseases:

 Phytophthora root rot, Safflower rust, Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt, Botrytis head blight

Harvest:

 Harvesting can begin when leaves become dry and brown, with only a little green remaining on the late flower heads.  Safflower should be harvested when the moisture content of the seed is 8% or less. Careful adjustment and operation of the combine will reduce seed losses and increase the seed quality. 

Comments:

                                                                                                                                       MVB

Identification

Leaf:

 safflower leaves.jpg (107522 bytes)

Flower:

 Safflower flower1.JPG (1501176 bytes) Safflower flower2.JPG (2525824 bytes)

Seeds:

 Safflower_seed.JPG (1272126 bytes)

Distribution:

 safflower distribution map.jpg (31661 bytes)

  More Information  

Links:

 http://agric.ucdavis.edu/crops/oilseed/safflower.htm
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/safflower.html