Evaluation of Genetic Control of Seed Quality Traits in Safflower (Carthamus tinctorious L.)

Diallel crosses of eight genotypes of safflower were conducted and F1 and F2 generations were evaluated to estimate genetic parameters for seed-quality related traits including protein contents (%), fiber, ash and oil yeild. Griffing’s methods 1 and 2 for F1 and F2 generations was used, respectively. Sixty four genotypes including 8 parents and 56 F1 progenies, and half diallel crosses of F2 generation were grown using a complete randomized block design. Results of analysis of variance based on Griffing’s method revealed significant general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) of all studied traits in F1 and F2 generations, implementing the importance of additive and non-additive genetic effects. Significant reciprocal mean squares were estimated by Griffing’s method indicated the importance of cytoplasmic genetic factors for controlling oil yield. Low narrow sense heritability estimates and high estimates of dominance effects for ash content indicated the importance of non-additive genetic efficiency for it. Hence the efficiency of hybrid production method would be high to improve it. High narrow-sense heritability estimates and high degrees of additive effects for oil yeild and fiber indicated the prime importance of additive genetic effects for these traits, therefore, the efficiency of selection would be high to improve these traits. The estimates of genetic variance components proposed the importance of both additive and dominance genec effects which contribute to variation in protein content.