Effect of Phosphate Fertilization and Boron Spraying on Vegetative Growth Traits of Safflower Crop

Abstract At the Agricultural Research Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Anbar University, located in the Albuaitha area at latitude 33.450°N and longitude 43.320°E, a field experiment was conducted in the spring of 2024. The randomized complete block design (RCBD) study included three replications. Four phosphate fertilizer application rates (0, 75, 150, and 225 kg h −1 ) and three boric acid concentrations (0, 100, and 150 mg L −1 ) were employed. The primary outcome of the experiment is summarized as follows: The application of 225 kg h −1 of phosphorus fertilizer resulted in superior performance in most vegetative growth traits of the safflower crop examined in this study, including a plant height of 117.10 cm. number of leaves (488.1 leaves-1), number of main branches (19.69 branches-1), number of secondary branches (138.28 branches −1) and petal weight (4.34 g), while 150 kg h-1 recorded the highest average stem diameter (12.98 mm). The concentration of 150 mg L-1 of boron recorded the highest average for: Plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, number of main branches and number of secondary branches with averages of (115.22 cm, 12.77 mm, 468.2 leaves-1, 17.74 branches-1 and 141.83 branches-1) sequentially. The interaction between the level of 225 kg H-1 of P fertilizer and the concentration of 150 mg L-1 significantly affected the plant height, the number of leaves, and the number of main and secondary branches, while the same level of P fertilizer and the concentration of 100 mg L-1 significantly affected the petal weight.