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Sequential Trait Development and Breeding for High Yields in Safflower¹

The development of the sequential traits of seed yield (heads/area, seeds/head, and seed wt) of safflower, Carthamus tinctorius L., and the breeding for high and low yield were studied. The original data for each of the three traits were standardized by two transformations and compared.

Of the sequential traits, genotype had a large effect on seed wt and smaller effects on seeds/head and heads/ area. Location effects were generally highly significant for each trait; dates of planting were less important.

The sequential traits show independence in a correlation analysis. Together the traits account for 97% of the variation in yield, with head numbers and seeds in the head accounting for most of the variation. For each trait separately, seed wt accounts for most of the variation in yield, followed by seeds/head and head numbers. Standardized partial regression coefficients indicate that for selection, one should give more weight to head numbers and seeds/head when all these traits are considered simultaneously and to head numbers when one trait is considered at a time.

In general, head numbers or seeds/head or both traits could be responsible for high yielding lines. Seed wt was generally inflexible in different environments, but heads/ area and seeds/head were more flexible. Line A1186-1 was among the five highest yielding lines in nearly all locations and for all planting dates, indicating the highest adaptation to the range of environments in the experiments.

Key Words: Oscillatory curve • Transformation • Correlation • Carthamus tinctorius L.

² Research agronomist, ARS, USDA, Phoenix, Ariz.; and assistant professor, Dep. of Mathematics, Arizona State Univ., Tempe, Ariz.

Received for publication July 7, 1975.