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A male— sterile safflower type (ms) was artificially crossed to six commercial safflower varieties ( v—49 848 + 222 , CGL—88 = 157 , V—49/922 209, 3147S2, sel. 57, and Sel . 44 ) and six hybrids were obtained . Each of the six varieties were also crossed to the ms type in isolation and in natural condition without emaculation to get six natural hybrids. All of the six varieties were collected from ms plants . This seed was called multiple hybrid . Each variety was also bagged in the field and S1 seed of each variety was collected . In 1976, six parents , six selfed parents and 13 hybrids were grown in a completely randomized block design with three replications in the Agronomy Field , Department of Agronomy , University of Tehran , Karaj , Iran • Traits studied were flowering time , plant height , number of bolls per plant , number of seeds per boll, seed yield , seed weight , oil percentage and amount of oil per hectare . Data for each

trait were analysed statistically and three types of compar±son were made :
1) between the three kinds of hybrids , 2) between hybrids and male parents, and
3) between parents and selfed parents. The following results were obtained :
(a) hybrids especially artifical hybrids were superior to their male parents ; (b) natural hybrids showed heterosis in fewer cases compared to artifical crosses, which is due to the presence of some selfing in natural hybrids ; (c) in most cases selfing did not produce yield reduction in safflower; and (d) artificial
hybrids were in many instances superior to natura3 and multiple hybrids , due t the presence of some selfing in the two lattdr hybrids