RESUMEN
ObjectiveTo study on the suitable cryopreservation conditions of Carthamus tinctorius seeds. MethodThe germination rate，relative conductivity，soluble sugar，soluble protein， and related enzyme activities of C. tinctorius seeds， as well as the hydroxysafflor yellow A （HSYA） content in Carthami Flos after storage and breeding for four months were detected under different temperature conditions （long-term storage，medium-term storage，short-term storage，room temperature，and ultra-low temperature refrigerator），different water content （8.1%，6.6%，5.2%，and 3.9%），and different storage time （2，4，6，8， 10 months）. SPSS 20.0 was used for statistical analysis. ResultDuring the storage for 10 months，the changing trend of the germination rate of C. tinctorius seeds revealed that it was more suitable to store seeds with low water content at a lower temperature. The differences in germination rate of seeds caused by storage temperature，seeds water content， and storage time were statistically significant. After storage for 10 months，the germination rate was significantly correlated with other detection indexes. ConclusionThe proper water content of C. tinctorius seeds in long-term and medium-term storage is 5.2% or 6.6%，and that in short-term and ultra-low temperature refrigerator is 3.9% or 5.2%. As revealed by the comparison results， the optimal storage conditions for C. tinctorius seeds were long-term storage and water content of 5.2%， which resulted in the highest germination rate and content of soluble sugar and soluble protein and the lowest relative conductivity after storage for 10 months. Additionally， the content of hydroxy safflor yellow A （HSYA） in Carthami Flos obtained after breeding and regeneration for four months was higher than that obtained after room temperature storage.