Breeding improvements in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.): A review

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is an oil seed crop that is grown not only for its edible oil but also for its applications as animal feed and plant-made pharmaceuticals. Historically, biometrical genetics played a crucial role in the improvement of safflower seed yield and its components, phenologic and morphologic traits, and nutritional properties including oil, fatty (linoleic, oleic, stearic, and palmitic) acids, protein, and fiber. Breeding methods based on gene action of different traits has a significant role in releasing high-yield genotypes. In recent years, biotechnological methods have played a supplementary role in safflower breeding, but breeding programs are not being complemented adequately with molecular tools. In this review article, efforts are made to investigate and review the different genetic studies thus far conducted on the genetic control of different traits and molecular markers used for germplasm identification in safflower. The studies reviewed have left their mark on safflower improvement in recent years.