CLIMATE change has prompted renewed global interest in the oilseed safflower.
According to Indian scientist Nandini Nimbkar, positive attributes of safflower, such as high polyunsaturated fatty acid content, are offset by the oilseed's susceptibility to disease and insects.
Dr Nimbkar, president of the Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute at Phaltan, in Maharashtra state, said research efforts into the oilseed around the world were inadequate.
NARI is a private research centre established by Dr Nimbkar's family and has been working on safflower research since it was founded 41 years ago.
Dr Nimbkar will relate some of that research to attendees of the seventh international safflower conference at the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre in Wagga Wagga, NSW, on November 3-6.
She said the wealth of information to evolve from the conference should be enough to prompt more research into the crop to solve some of its production problems.
According to conference organiser and Australian Oilseeds Federation chairwoman, Sue Knights, her organisation has strongly backed the forum's program as it believes it will stimulate further research on safflower in Australia.
The CSIRO has adopted safflower as its preferred crop for its "crop biofactories" program.
Dr Nimbkar will be one of many international speakers at the conference.
Wimmera grain grower and Nuffield scholar David Jochinke will give an Australian farmer's perspective on growing the crop.
Other speakers will cover marketing, biotechnology, end use, agronomy, oilseed quality and breeding of the crop.
For more details, visit Australian Oilseeds Federation.
