The plant geneticist’ contribution toward changing lipid and amino acid composition of safflower

Current research on the fatty acid composition of the seed oil of safflower ( Carthamus tinctorius L.) has shown the following: (1) there is a possibility that the oleic acid content can be increased above 80%, though probably not above 85%, by use of modifying genes and the major gene ol ; (2) wild species do not look very promising as a source of genes for modifying fatty acid composition; (3) commercially grown high linoleic and high oleic types are temperature stable; (4) an experimental type with about equal amounts of oleic and linoleic acids is responsive to temperature, with high temperature increasing oleic acid and low temperature increasing linoleic acid; and (5) stearic acid in another experimental type with higher levels of stearic acid (5–10%) is reduced by low temperatures.