Ecological study of false saffron in Russia, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan to ensure food security

Abstract

Safflower oilseed is a crop native to Egypt and India with arid climates. Global warming in the world requires an alternative approach to well-known oilseeds (sunflower, rapeseed). Many years of research have been carried out to study the culture of safflower oilseed in contrasting natural conditions Russia, Southern Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan. The goal was to study the biological characteristics, productivity, accumulation of oil content, and the manifestation of the main disease in arid conditions and to create a variety with adaptive potential for a specific region. Based on the research results, new varieties of safflower oilseed Krasa Stupinskaya (Russia), Akmai, Nurlan, Iirkas, and Moldir-2008 (Kazakhstan), Shifo (Tajikistan) were created and recommended for sustainable farming in the above regions. In terms of the accumulation of oil and fatty acid composition in the seeds, the Krasa Stupinskaya variety from the Central region of the Russian Federation is at the level of southern varieties from Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. In a warming climate, the above varieties will ensure food security in their countries due to stable yields, sufficient accumulation of oil content in seeds and disease resistance.