Emergence and Seedling Growth of a Cultivated and a Wild Strain of Safflower under Various Amounts of Simulated Rainfall

Two separate experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of different planting depths and irrigation regimes on the emergence and seedling heights of a cultivated (Carthamus tinctorius L. cv. Arak 2811) and a wild strain (C. oxyacantha Bieb.) of safflower. In the first experiment, three planting depths (0.5, 2.0 and 3.5 cm) and four water levels (6,9,12, and 15 mm) were used. Water was applied only once at the start of the experiment. For Arak 2811, the highest emergence percentage and seedling height were obtained when seeds were planted 0.5 cm deep in the soil and irrigated with the equivalent of 12 mm of rainfall. In the second experiment, five water levels (3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 mm) were applied at 3-day intervals for a period of 25 days and the planting depth was 0.5 cm. For Arak 2811, the seedlings emerged within 4 to 7 days after the first watering while for the wild strain, the emergence started on the 4th day and continued up to the 17th day. The emergence percentage of the wild safflower was almost half of that of the cultivated strain. However, the emerged wild seedlings were much more resistant to low available water than the seedlings of the cultivated variety of safflower.