Cultivation of castor in the conditions of the Rostov region

Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) is a valuable high-oil technical crop, belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family. In the climatic conditions of the Rostov region, it is an annual, thermophilic plant. The castor seed kernel is the most valuable part of the plant, containing on average up to 75 % oil. Since 1926, breeding work has been carried out at the Don experimental station in the direction of developing varieties suitable for cultivation in moderate climates. The main focus of breeding has been the development of highly productive, early-maturing castor bean varieties with indehiscent boxes suitable for mechanical harvesting. Castor seeds are known for their variety of sexual forms: ambisexual, male, female, as well as semi-female (female plants with a small number of male flowers) and scattered (plants with a mixed arrangement of male and female flowers). Using various methods of increasing the number of female plants, the Don experimental station has received breeding material that contributed to increasing the productivity of the crop. By the method of hybridization, mass, and individual selection, new productive varieties have been developed that fully meet the requirements of the time. Castor is a good forecrop for winter crops, due to the high content of nitrogen and potassium in the stems, when plowed they serve as a good organic fertilizer. When cultivated in crop rotation, castor increases soil fertility and protects the soil from soil pests such as wireworm, may beetle larvae, etc. Currently, castor is cultivated in many countries of the world, including Russia. The Rostov region is one of the northernmost areas of cultivation of this crop. Currently, the Don experimental station continues breeding work on the development of new castor varieties that combine resistance to stress factors, early maturity, yield, and product quality. The result of many years of work by breeders at the Don experimental station is a new high-yielding, highly productive variety of castor Udacha.