High-yielding safflower variety developed by IIOR released by PM Modi

High-yielding safflower varieties ISF 300 and ISF 123-sel-15 released by ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research.

A high-yielding safflower variety developed by the ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, based in Hyderabad, was one of the 109 high-yielding, climate resilient and bio-fortified varieties of 61 crops released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday.

According to a press release from the IIOR, the new varieties belong to 34 field crops and 27 horticultural crops. The safflower variety developed by IIOR, ISF 300, is suitable for all safflower-growing regions in the country including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh - both for rain-fed and irrigated cultivation.

The new variety, ISF 300, gives a high-seed yield of 1,796 kg per hectare or 726.8 kg per acre, a high oil yield of 694 kg per hectare or 280.85 kg per acre with highest oil content of 38%.

Another safflower variety ISF 123-sel-15 was also released for rain-fed cultivation in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. This variety gives a seed yield of 1,631 kg per hectare (660 kg per acre), high oil yield of 564 kg per hectare (228.24 per acre) and high oil content of 34%. Both the varieties were found resistant to the wilt disease, the IIOR statement said.

According to the statistics of Telangana Agriculture Department, safflower was cultivated in 10,464 acres in 2023-24, 21,234 acres in 2022-23, 18,544 acres in 2021-22 and 7,551 acres in 2020-21.