Seed protein variability in safflower

Total seed proteins in two safflower species (Carthamus tinctorius L. and Carthamus lanatus L.) have been separated by the SDS-PAGE method. Their molecular masses ranged from 120 to 20 kDa. All Carthamus tinctorius genotypes under study exhibited identical electrophoretic patterns which differed from the pattern exhibited by the wild species Carthamus lanatus in the number and position of protein bands. Differences in protein profiles occurred in regions around 60 kDa, from 43 to 36 kDa and around 30 kDa. Statistically significant differences in seed protein content were found among safflower genotypes from different countries as well as among genotypes from the same country but from different sites. The highest seed protein content was found in a genotype originating from the USA.