Increasing Carthamus Tinctorius L. Yield by Managed Bees

Carthamus tinctorius L. (safflower) is a drought-tolerant plant that has been cultivated for its oil, carthamin pigment, and edible parts. Seed production by safflower is related to its pollination success. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Apis mellifera L. (honey bee) and Bombus terrestris L. (bumble bee) pollination on safflower seed quality. Experiments with five treatments were prepared, four of which consisted of cages with either honey bees, bumble bees, or honey bees and bumble bees together in them, or without any insects, plus one open-pollinated plot treatment. To determine seed quality in the different treatments, the total seed yield, 1000 grain weight of seeds, number of seeds per capitulum, total oil content, fatty acid composition, and total oil yield in each treatment was determined. Total seed and oil yield was increased with bee pollination, whereas no significant difference was found in the total oil content and 1000 grain weight of seeds among treatments. Significant differences were observed among treatments in their seeds’ fatty acid compositions, specifically in their content of oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid. As a result, it was found that pollination by bees can positively affect the seed characteristics of safflower, while also increasing the total seed yield. We thus recommend using commercial bees in the cultivation of safflower.