ESTIMATES FOR BROAD SENSE HERITABILITY AND HETEROSIS OF AGRONOMIC AND QUALITY CHARACTERS OF SAFFLOWER (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

The present research was conducted in between 2008 and 2011 at Suleyman Demirel University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Field Crops, Isparta Turkey (latitude 37o 45’N, longitude 30o 33’E, altitude 997 m). In study was estimated to genotypic (ıg 2 ) and phenotypic (ıp 2 ) variances, broad sense heritability (h2 b) and heterosis value of agronomic and quality characters of F1 and F2 plants derived from a cross between Dinçer 5-118 and Montola 2000 cultivars. In F1 generation, heterosis and heterobeltiosis were high and positive for plant height, head number per plant, 1000 seed weight, seed yield per plant, palmitic acid and linoleic acid. In addition, heterosis and heterobeltiosis were low and positive for branches number, harvest index and oil content. On the other hand, heterobeltiosis was negative for seed number per head and oleic acid. The highest broad sense heritability was estimated seed number per head, 1000 seed weight, oleic acid and linoleic acid (80.1, 81.1, 99.4 and 99.3%, respectively). The broad sense heritability were estimated as 64.1% for plant height, 54.3% for primary branches, 74.7% for head number per plant, 72.1% for harvest index, 55.2% for seed yield per plant, 67.6% for oil content, 47.3% for palmitic acid and 48.2% for stearic acid. The results of this study indicated that plant height, head number per plant, 1000 seed weight, seed number per head, harvest index, oil content, oleic acid and linoleic acid firstly be evaluated for increase to succeed in practical selection in early generation.