Journal of Crops Improvement

Journal of Crops Improvement

Assessment of Agronomic and Physiologic Responses of Safflower to Abscisic and Jasmonic Acid Application

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
1 Department of Plant Science and Medicinal Herbs, Meshgin-Shahr Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
2 Meshgin-Shahr Jihad Keshavarzi, Meshgin-Shahr, Ardabil, Iran.
Abstract
Objective: In safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), a considerable proportion of photosynthates remains in vegetative organs and is not efficiently translocated to developing seeds. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid (JA) on the remobilization of stored photoassimilates and on seed yield of spring safflower.
Method: The experiment was conducted at the research farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Meshgin-Shahr, during the 2024 growing season. The experimental treatments were: (1) irrigated plants without hormone application (control), (2) rainfed plants without hormone application, (3) irrigated plants sprayed with abscisic acid, and (4) irrigated plants sprayed with jasmonic acid. Both hormones were applied in three consecutive sprays following completion of pollination. Traits were measured at three developmental stages: the beginning of capitulum formation (before spraying), the onset of seed growth (one week after the final spray), and physiological maturity.
Results: At the onset of capitulum formation, plant height and biomass were greater under irrigated than under rainfed conditions. During early seed development, no significant differences were generally observed among treatments. At physiological maturity, rainfed conditions and the application of ABA and JA reduced post-anthesis dry matter accumulation, resulting in 27%, 17%, and 22% reductions in biomass, respectively, relative to the control. The highest seed yield (348 g m-1) was recorded in the control plants, whereas seed yield in rainfed, ABA-treated, and JA-treated plants was 33%, 41%, and 38% lower, respectively, than that of the control. Capitulum weight, seed number, and harvest index were also lower in rainfed and hormone-treated plants than in the control. The highest remobilization value (91 g m-2) was observed in JA-treated plants, followed by ABA-treated, rainfed, and control plants. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between seed yield and both seed number and total biomass; however, no clear relationship was found between seed yield and stem remobilization.
Conclusions: Under the conditions of this study, the separate application of 50 μM abscisic acid and 0.5 mM jasmonic acid during late anthesis did not improve seed yield of safflower. Nevertheless, the capacity of these hormones to enhance dry matter remobilization and assimilate partitioning from vegetative to reproductive organs indicates that further research is warranted to evaluate different hormone concentrations and application timings.
Keywords

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