THE BEST CASTOR HYBRIDS SOWING DATE IN ORDER TO ESCAPE ADVERSE WEATHER DURING START AND FINAL PHASES OF GROWTH CYCLE

Belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family, Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) is one of the most important non-edible industrial oilseed crop due to its high oil content which ranges from 40 to 55%. According to its temperature requirements, Castor is expected to be one of the possible oilseed crop to develop and study in the Mediterranean area in order to enhance the cultivation in degraded and marginal land. Field experiment were conducted at the experimental farm of the University of Catania between the period of April and November 2021. The aim was to study the behavior of four dwarf hybrids in comparison with a local variety of castor bean evaluating which sowing date was the best to cultivate castor for avoiding the low-winter temperature and verify the best period of cultivation. The flowering of the first three sowing dates were recorded around the end of July due to temperature and photoperiodic effect. The seed yield was higher for the dwarf hybrids, while the local variety had higher production for the primary racemes because of the shifting of the sowing dates which reduces the growing season.