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Safflower | |
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Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is an annual oilseed cash crop. It originally grew wild in Europe, Asia and perhaps Egypt and was used as a source of cooking oil, food colouring and cloth dye. Safflower is grown commercially for it's high grade oil and its rotational and management benefits. Safflower provides a disease break crop for cereals and grain legumes. Seed should be direct seeded into deep, fertile, well drained soils with good water-holding capacity in early spring. Nitrogen and phosphorus requirements are similar to those for growing a wheat crop. Seed should be sown shallow (15-20 mm) into moist soil. Trifluralin (RIVAL) can be used for pre-emergent weed control. There are no post-emergent herbicides registered for use on this crop. Safflower seed is used mainly for oil and meal production, but recently the birdseed trade has been a major user of the crop.
Safflower seedling | 
Safflower | 
Safflower flowers |
Photos: V. Sowiak, AAFRD |
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For more information about the content of this document, contact Kwesi Ampong-Nyarko.
This document is maintained by Shelley Barkley.
This information published to the web on June 10, 2001.
Last Reviewed/Revised on March 26, 2009.
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