Agronomic behavior of castor bean

The castor bean is a shrubby plant with various colors of stem, leaves and racemes, and may or may not have wax on the stem and petiole. The fruits generally have spines and, in some cases, are inert. The seeds have different shapes, sizes and great variability in color. Castor oil is the most important constituent of the castor seed, and the castor cake is the most important by-product, produced from the extraction of oil from castor oil seeds. It is a plant demanding nutrients, especially nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. The present work aimed to evaluate the behavior of castor oil plant cultivar Nordestina, in relation to the dosages of N, P and K, when cultivated in a protected environment. In the first experiment, five doses of N (40;80;120;160;200 Kg/ha) with fixed doses of P and K were used; for the second five doses of P (30;60;90;120;150 Kg/ha) with fixed doses of N and K were used and in the third five doses of K (30;60;90;120;150 Kg/ha) with fixed doses of N and P were used. P influenced the height of the castor plant. All the other variables analyzed showed greater yield with the higher doses of N.