Abstract

This present scientific research was conducted in the Qlyasan, which is located in the governorate of Sulaimani in the northeast of Iraq.The experimentation was conducted over two distinct growing seasons.; Winter of 2022-2023 and Spring of 2023, this study aimed to assess the outcome of planting dates on growth, yield, and oil content of different varieties of safflower. The experimental setup followed a (CRBD) design, with three replicates employed during the winter season, for robustness and reliability. the sowing dates were (December 1st, December 15th, and December 31st). while in the spring season, three sowing dates (April 1^st, April 15th, and May 1^st). Three varieties namely (Gilla, Iden, and Al-Shamia) were planted. The characteristics studied in this research included the height of the plants, No.of primary branches/plant, No.of heads /plant, No.of seeds/head, 1000-seed weight, seed yield (kg ha^-1), and content of oil (%). The results indicated that variation in sowing dates had a significant impact on all traits of safflower varieties. The highest seed yield was observed from (December 1^st and April 1^st) sowing dates (1831.77,1562.22 kg ha^-1) during seasons individually, and the lowest seed yield was recorded for the latest sowing dates (December 31st and May 1st). The highest oil content was reached (30.15 and 27.18%) obtained by sowing on December 31st, and April 1^st respectively. The Gilla variety surpassed and outperformed in seed yield (2610.50 and 2302.33 kg ha-¹) in both seasons respectively, and the AL-Shamia variety produced the highest oil percentage in both seasons at (30.15,23.39%).