Background : The purpose of this study is to select potential genetic resources from safflower germplasm collected from India based on their oil compositions and agronomic characteristics.
Methods and Results : The agronomic characteristics were measured during the growing period of the safflower. Total oil contents were recovered by Soxhlet extraction and the fatty acid compositions were analyzed by using gas chromatography. The mean of plant height, leaf length and leaf width were 100.19 ㎝, 20.49 ㎝, and 7.29 ㎝, respectively. The percentage of leaf margin with serration was 95%, and 2% of the total resources didn’t have spines on the involucral bract. K185681 had no spines on the involucral bract and the plant height was the smallest. 73% of the flower of safflower was yellow. 68% of safflower germplasm changed flower color from yellow to red. Total oil contents of 267 safflower accessions showed a significant variability among the entire domain of collections and ranged from 5.81 to 38.91%. Palmitic and stearic acid were ranged from 4.98 to 6.65%, and 1.82 to 2.73%, respectively. Oleic and linoleic acid showed a wide variation which ranged from 10.53 to 22.27%, and 69.46 to 81.26%, respectively. Linolenic acid was ranged from 0.06 to 0.13%. K185639 and K185639 had the highest total oil contents and linoleic acid, respectively. Cluster analysis based on oil composition and agronomic characteristics data divided the germplasm collections into three groups. Group Ⅲ having 114 accessions contained accessions with taller plant height than the other groups. Group Ⅱ having 68 accessions, the main color of flower was white but the other groups were yellow. Oleic acid showed a strong negative correlation (r = -0.9691**) with linoleic acid. Principal component analysis (PCA) based on the oil compositions and agronomic characteristics data revealed that the first two principal components (PC1 and PC2) together explained 36.28% total variation.
Conclusion : These results showed that K185681, K185639 and K185639 could be useful to develop breeding and functional food.

• 성정숙(농촌진흥청 국립농업과학원 농업유전자원센터) | Jung Sook Sung Corresponding author
• 정이진(농촌진흥청 국립농업과학원 농업유전자원센터) | Yi Jin Jeong
• 김다정(농촌진흥청 국립농업과학원 농업유전자원센터) | Da Jeong Kim
• Awraris Derbie Assefa(농촌진흥청 국립농업과학원 농업유전자원센터)
• 허온숙(농촌진흥청 국립농업과학원 농업유전자원센터) | On Sook Hur
• 노나영(농촌진흥청 국립농업과학원 농업유전자원센터) | Na Young Ro
• 이재은(농촌진흥청 국립농업과학원 농업유전자원센터) | Jae Eun Lee
• 이호선(농촌진흥청 국립농업과학원 농업유전자원센터) | Ho Sun Lee
• 이명철(농촌진흥청 국립농업과학원 농업유전자원센터) | Myeong Chul Lee
• 이주희(농촌진흥청 국립농업과학원 농업유전자원센터) | Ju Hee Rhee