Agronomic performance, oil quality, and multivariate characterization of Anatolian safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) germplasm under Mediterranean winter-growing conditions

Abstract Anatolian safflower germplasm represents a potentially promising germplasm for improving seed yield and oil quality under Mediterranean environments; however, information regarding its agronomic performance and fatty acid composition remains limited. This study evaluated the agronomic traits, oil content, fatty acid composition, and multivariate relationships of 16 Anatolian safflower genotypes and five registered cultivars under Mediterranean winter-growing conditions during two consecutive growing seasons. Significant variation was observed among genotypes for most agronomic and quality traits. Among the Anatolian accessions, TR 42670 exhibited superior seed and oil yield performance, TR 50118 showed the highest oil content, and TR 49117 was characterized by high linoleic acid content. The cultivars Asol and Olas were distinguished by their relatively high oleic acid concentrations. These results demonstrated the existence of considerable diversity for both productivity and oil quality traits within the evaluated germplasm. Principal component analysis revealed that fatty acid composition, particularly the oleic–linoleic acid balance, together with yield-related traits, represented the major sources of variation among genotypes. Multivariate analyses clearly separated high-oleic and high-linoleic materials and highlighted substantial diversity among the evaluated accessions. Overall, the results indicate that Anatolian safflower germplasm contains valuable genetic variation for agronomic performance, oil content, and fatty acid composition. These genetic resources may provide useful parental material for breeding programs aimed at improving productivity and oil quality in Mediterranean environments.