Determination of optimum row-spacing and plant density in Goldasht safflower variety.

In this study optimum row-spacing and plant density of new safflower cultivar, Goldasht were evaluated during a twoyear period (2007-2009) in Saveh University in Iran. The experimental design was set up as strip-plot in a randomized complete block with four replication Rows were arranged at varying spaces of 25, 30, 50, 60 cm while the plants were adopted horizontally at 5, 10 and 15 cm. In this way, plants density ranged from 111111 to 800000 plant/ha. Combined analysis of two years, demonstrated that a significant effect on the seed and oil yields due to a decrease in row spacing from 50-25 cm and inter-row spacing from 15 to 5 cm. This decrease in row spacing from 50 to 25 cm and inter-row spacing from 15 to 5 cm could also increase 100SW from 27 gr to 31 gr, and seed and oil yields from 1010 and 361 kg/ha to 1399 and 422 kg/ha respectively. Moreover, an increase in plant spacing from 50 to 25 cm and inter-row spacing from 15 to 5 cm caused decreasing in the number of head/plant from 15 to 5, number of branches from 19 to 9. Correlation among the traits showed that the grain yield is significantly correlated with oil yield, number of heads and number of secondary branches. It can be concluded that the higher number of heads per plot caused more seed yield, comparing with high number of heads per plant.