Soil-ecological assessment of safflower growing conditions (Carthamus tinctorius L.) in the Central Black Earth region of Russia and Central Asia

The features of the development of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) in regions that are significantly remote geographically and differ sharply in environmental and climatic conditions – Central Asia (Republic of Tajikistan, Sughd region; Republic of Kazakhstan, Zhambyl region) and the Central Black Earth region of the Russian Federation (Voronezh region). A comparative analysis of the development of C. tinctorius individuals in different geographical conditions showed that the ontomorphogenesis of the species was not very variable and proceeded in the same way in all these regions. However, a significant difference was found in the timing of the onset of phenophases, which is due to different timing of crop sowing and climatic features of the regions. A soil-ecological assessment of the growing conditions of safflower was carried out, the physicochemical properties and agrochemical characteristics of soils in experimental plots in various geographical zones were identified. The absence of a toxic allelopathic effect of the crop on the soils of agrocenoses in central Russia was shown. The potential introduction of the crop into the conditions of the Central Chernobyl Region of the Russian Federation has been established, since when grown in the Voronezh region, the complete ontogenesis of the species is occurred and the formation of full-fledged achenes took place. It has been established that C. tinctorius has a wide adaptive mechanism, which is based on the characteristics of the biology and ecology of the species.