Determination of Some Physiological Parameters of Different Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) Cultivars under Laboratory Conditions

Abstract: Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is an important energy plant whose cultivation has increased in recent years in our country, resistant to drought and has high adaptability. Regarding the phytochemistry of this plant (seed, oil, etc.), it has been determined that there are many components such as flavonoids, antioxidants, total phenol and mineral substance amount, phenylethanoid glycosides, coumarins, vitamin E, fatty acids, sugar and steroids. However, it has been observed that there are very few studies to determine the total phenol, antioxidant and mineral substance content in the leaves. In this study, the total phenol, antioxidant, sugar and mineral substance amounts of different safflower cultivars (Asol, Ayaz, Balcı, Dinçer and Göktürk) widely grown in Turkey in recent years were determined under laboratory conditions. When the data obtained were evaluated, it was found that the total amount of phenols in Asol cultivar was statistically lower (81.33) compared to other cultivars, and it was found to vary between 273.00-392.44 in other cultivars. Among the sugar varieties, the Sucrose ratio was different between the varieties, and accordingly, the highest Sucrose value was determined with 1.87 g in Balcı variety and the lowest Sucrose value with 0.82 g in Ayaz variety. Among the mineral substances, it was determined that the amount of Fe was statistically different between the cultivars, and accordingly, the highest amount of Fe was found in Ayaz cultivar (946.71 mg/kg), the lowest in Balcı (422.83 mg/kg) and Göktürk (444.75 mg/kg) cultivars. The other physiological parameters measured were not statistically different between the cultivars, but the values were found to be 16.58-24.97 µmol for antioxidants, 0.16-0.41 gr for fructose, 0.43-0.63 gr for glucose, 1.76-3.00 for Ca %, and 10.07-13.54 mg/kg for Cu. It was noted that the % contents of, K, Mn and Mg varied between 1.79-3.60, 96.37-105.33 and 0.41-0.97, respectively.