Assessment of agronomic traits of safflower based on various planting arrangements and fertilizer application

M. Janmohammadi; H. Kouchakkhani; F. Shekari; N. Sabaghnia

doi:10.14232/abs.2025.2.99-107

Authors

M. Janmohammadi Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Maragheh, Iran
H. Kouchakkhani Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Maragheh, Iran
F. Shekari Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Maragheh, Iran
N. Sabaghnia Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Maragheh, Iran

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14232/abs.2025.2.99-107

Keywords:

chemical fertilizer, cow farm waste, plant density, planting design, planting in-furrow, on-ridge plantingx

Abstract

The production of safflower in semi-arid regions is hindered by factors such as the poor quality of soils, low levels of organic matter, inadequate soil structure, deficiencies in essential nutrients, and insufficient information on effective agronomic practices. The current experiment aimed to investigate different planting designs (planting in-furrow with 40 cm or 60 cm inter-row spacing: IN40, IN60; or planting on the ridge with 40 cm or 60 cm inter-row spacing: ORI40, ORI60) and various fertilizer managements (C: control or no fertilizer application; CFW10 and CFW20: application of 10 or 20 t ha ^−¹ cow farm waste; NPK: application of primary macronutrient fertilizers including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; and Fe+Zn: application of trace elements iron and zinc) on the agronomic characteristics of safflower in the Razan region, Hamedan, Iran. Application of CFW reduced the days to seedling emergence by 40% compared to the control. The ORI60 planting design accelerated the phenological development of the plant, and this effect was more evident under CFW application. The longest time to maturity was observed under the no-fertilizer condition. The tallest plants were obtained with CFW20 + ORI60. Although all fertilizer applications improved lateral growth and the number of branches, the greatest effect was recorded with CFW20 + ORI60. A similar trend was observed for the number of capitula. However, the highest number of achenes per plant was obtained with the application of CFW or Fe+Zn using the IN60 planting design. Application of CFW+IN60 or micronutrients+ORI60 accelerated ground coverage by the canopy. The highest biological yield and seed yield were achieved with CFW20+IN40. Overall, the results showed that the efficiency of organic fertilizers was more evident than that of chemical fertilizers, and planting in-furrow with low inter-row spacing (higher plant density) improved safflower performance.