Impact of various row spacings and NP levels on the growth and yield of safflower Carthamus tinctorius L.

The seed of safflower were drilled in three row spacing 930 cm, 45 cm and 60 cm) and treated with three different NP levels (100-50, 125-75 and 150-100 kg NP per ha) using a four replicated Randomized Complete Block Design with Factorial arrangement keeping a net pot area of 2x3 meter. NP fertilizer was applied in the form of Urea and DAPS. All other cultural practices were followed in all the plot throughout the growing period. For recording the observations on different agronomic characters five plants were selected randomly from each plot and tagged. The observations recorded were plant height, number of branches per plant. Number of capitula per plant, number of seeds per capitulum, seed yield per plant, 1000 seed weight, while at harvest seed obtained per treatment was tabulated as seed yield per ha. The results indicated that row spacing had significant effect on all the characters studied safflower sown in a narrow row (30 cm) obtained taller plants (125.39cm), while wider row spacing (60 cm) recorded greater number of branches (15.49 per plant), number of capitula (30.31 per plant), seed capitulum-1 (22.29), seed yield per plant (32.758) and 1000 seed weight (34.308). However seed yield was maximum under optimum row spacing (45 cm) 1781 kg per ha. The results further indicated that safflower treated with higher level of fertilizer (150-100 kg NP per ha) recorded maximum plant height (120.94 cm), number of branches (14.44 per plant), number of capitula per plant (31.87), seed per capitula (22.70), seed weight (30.53 per plant), seed index (34.838) and seed yield (1834 kg per ha) respectively. The interaction of row spacing and NP levels were non-significant for all the characters studied indicating that the impact of row spacing and NP levels was independent for all the characters studied. It may be co9ncluded that optimum row spacing *45cm) produced greater seed yield as compared to narrow (30 cm) and wide r (60cm) respectively. It is further concluded that safflower treated with higher level of fertilizer (150-75 kg NP per ha) as compared to lower (100-150) kg NP per ha) and optimum (125-75 kg NP per ha) respectively. Increase in seed yield in case of higher level of fertilizer was associated with significant increase in all yield-related characters.