Performance of Safflower Varieties under Different Dates of Sowing and Crop-weather Relationships

A field experiment was conducted during Rabi 2022 at the Zonal Agriculture and Horticulture Research Station, Hiriyur, Chitradurga. The experiment site is situated at 130 57' 32" North latitude and 700 37' 38" East longitude with an altitude of 606.1 m above the mean sea level. The experiment was laid out in split plot design and consist of four sowing windows - 7th October, 21st October, 4th November and 18th November and three varieties of safflower - PBNS-86, Annigeri-1 and A-300 replicated thrice. The results revealed that crops sown on 21st October recorded significantly higher seed yield of 1298 kg ha-1 with a variety of PBNS-86 producing significantly higher seed yield of 1233 kg ha-1 and it was statistically on par with crop sown on 7th October (1223 kg ha-1). Among the varieties, PBNS-86 produced significantly higher seed yield (1233 kg ha-1). However, it was statistically on par with Annigeri-1 (1197 kg ha-1). The interaction effect was found non-significant. Seed yield had significant positive correlation with weather parameters such as maximum relative humidity (r = 0.485**), minimum relative humidity (r = 0.554**), cumulative bright sunshine hours (r = 0.355*), from flowering to capitulum and seed development stage. The linear regression values show the variation in grain yield was primarily affected by average minimum temperature at 56% followed by average maximum relative humidity at 54% and diurnal temperature range at 50%. During sowing to physiological maturity and lower variations was observed in cumulative pan evaporation at 23% during flowering to physiological maturity. From the study it can be inferred that sowing safflower on 21st October with PBNS-86 variety can be a better option to get higher productivity in central dry zone of Karnataka.