Genetic study of several seed oil quality traits in safflower

Abstract

One of the major advantages of safflower is its diversity in seed oil quality types, with contrasting fatty acid profiles ranging from about 90% linolenic acid to 90% oleic acid. Additionally, a novel seed oil type consisting of a tocopherol profile made up of 90% gammatocopherol instead of the standard profile of 90% alpha-tocopherol has been developed. This opens up the possibility of developing novel combinations of fatty acid and tocopherol profiles, which will result in a greater value of safflower oil for food, feed, and industrial applications. The objective of the present research was to study the inheritance of the three most relevant seed oil quality traits in safflower, i.e. high oleic acid content (>85% of the total fatty acids), high linoleic acid content (>85% of the total fatty acids), and high gammatocopherol content (>90% of the total tocopherols). Plants with either high oleic acid, high linoleic acid, or high gamma-tocopherol content were crossed with plants of a safflower line with standard fatty acid and tocopherol profile. The F1, F2, and BC1F1 or F3 seed generations were analysed by the half-seed technique using gas-liquid chromatography (fatty acids) of high-performance liquid chromatography (tocopherols). In all cases, the traits were found to be controlled by single genes, which will facilitate their transference to other genetic backgrounds as well as the production of recombinants with specific combinations of fatty acid and tocopherol profiles. The results obtained are discussed in the light of future breeding strategies for developing novel safflower oil types with improved nutritional and technological properties.