Varietal features of realizing the productivity potential of safflower in the conditions of the Middle Volga region

The article presents the results of an ecological study of safflower varieties by productivity in the forest-steppe conditions of the Middle Volga region. The research was carried out over a period of four years (2021-2024) on the experimental field of the Penza Research Institute of Agriculture (Lunino, Penza region). The object of the research was 10 varieties of safflower of various selections. The climate of the region is characterized by contrasting temperatures and levels of humidity. In 2021 and 2023, the crop growing season was characterized as moderately dry (the hydrothermal coefficient was 0.86 and 0.87). In 2024, the growing season proceeded in dry conditions (GTK 0.50), in 2022 – in excessively humid conditions (GTC 1.38). During the research years, the field germination rate of safflower averaged 74.1-81.2%, depending on the variety. The survival rate of safflower plants at harvest varied from 79.8 to 89.6%. The yield of safflower seeds depended on meteorological conditions and varied on average from 1.32 to 1.70 t/ha. The highest productivity was demonstrated by the Alexandrite and Ershovsky 4 varieties, whose yields amounted to 1.65 and 1.70 t/ha, which significantly exceeded the average value for the varieties by 0.16 and 0.21 t/ha. The most stressful conditions were experienced by the Borets and Pamyati Kapiton Novozhilov varieties. These varieties produced the lowest yields, which amounted to 1.32 and 1.36 t/ha, respectively. The maximum accumulation of oil in seeds was noted in the varieties Chameleon (23.19%) and Ershovsky 4 (22.46%), which significantly (by 1.4-1.9%) exceeded this indicator in other varieties. The weight of 1000 safflower seeds varied within the range of 30.4-42.2 g, the variability of this trait over the years was insignificant (2.5-7.0%). The largest seeds were formed in the Krasa Stupinskaya variety, the average weight of 1000 seeds of which is 42.2 g. All safflower varieties belong to the linoleic type, where the percentage of linoleic acid varied within 75.98-81.40%. The conducted studies define safflower as a promising oilseed crop for cultivation in the conditions of the Middle Volga region, and in particular in the Penza region.