CASTOR (Ricinus communis)

CROP IMPROVEMENT

I. SEASON AND VARIETIES

II. DESCRIPTION OF CASTOR VARIETIES

 1. Preparation of the field

      Plough two-three times with country or mould board plough.

2. APPLICATION OF FERTILIZERS

      Spread 12.5 t/ha of FYM or compost evenly on the main field before last ploughing and incorporate in to soil by working a country plough.

NOTE: Do not leave FYM or compost exposed to sunlight as nutrients will be lost.

3. SEED RATE

      Adopt a seed rate of 10 kg/ha for varieties and 5 kg/ha for hybrid.

4. SPACING

      Adopt the following spacing for short and long duration strains.

5. APPLICATION OF FERTILIZERS

Apply NPK fertilizers basally as per soil test recommendations as far as possible.

If soil test recommendations are not available, follow the blanket recommendation of  30:15:15 kg/ha NPK.

6. PRE TREATMENT OF SEEDS

a) Treat the seeds with Carbendazim @ 2 g/kg of seed. b) Soak the seeds in water for
20 hours.

7. SOWING

a) Sow the seeds adopting the recommended spacing. b) Place the seeds at depth 4 - 6 cm. c) Put one seed in each hole.

8. GAP FILLING

Gap fill on the 10th day of sowing.

9. WEED MANAGEMENT

      Hoe and hand weed on 20th day of sowing to remove the weeds and repeat the operation on 40th day of sowing, if necessary.

10. INTERCROPPING

      Raise one row of castor for every six rows of groundnut. In the case of late receipt of monsoon blackgram + castor at 6:1 ratio is recommended.

11. HARVESTING THE CROP

      Observe the crop considering the average duration of the variety. i) One or more capsules show sign of drying. ii) Cut the matured racemes without damaging the secondaries. iii) Dry the capsule in the sun without heaping it in the shade. iv) Use castor sheller to separate the seeds or beat the dried capsule with wooden planks, winnow and collect the seeds.