Study of Callus Induction and Shoot Regeneration of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) Using Hypocotyl and Cotyledon Explants Culture

After cereals, oilseed crops are included as the second source of supplying calorie forhuman populations. In recent years, safflower was considered due to quality and highcontent of fatty acids. For optimization of tissue culture of safflower, an experiment wascarried out as a factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design with threereplications in 2008-2009. Callus induction and shoot regeneration percentage ofcotyledons and hypocotyl explants were measured on basal MS medium for two cultivars(Dincer and Sina) of safflower in different concentrations of NAA and BAP hormones.Analysis of interaction effects indicated that the cultivars were independent in response ofdifferent level of NAA. Mean comparison showed that the highest percentage of callusinduction occurred on MS medium containing 0.5 mg/l NAA and 0.5 mg/l BAP (94.33%)and 1 mg/l NAA and 1 mg/l BAP (97%). Furthermore, hypocotyl explant of Dincer has agood response to callus induction. The highest percentage of shoot regeneration also wasachieved on MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/l NAA and 2 mg/l BAP fromcotyledon explant of Dincer.