28 Jul Important Pests of Castor and its Management
अरंड के प्रमुख कीट एवं उनका प्रबंधन Castor is an important oil seed crop the plant has a substantial tap root with many lateral branches which can reach a great depth. Annual cultivated varieties reach a height of 0.9 - 1.5m whilst natural perennial varieties can grow as tall as 6m. As a species, the plants are very variable. Leaves are large, glossy and green with pointed lobes and prominent veins, each develops on a long stalk. The inflorescence consists of an erect panicle with female flowers at the top and male flowers at the bottom. The female flowers open before the male flowers and hence there is a large degree of cross-pollination. The flowering period may be long. The fruits are spherical capsules which become hard and brittle. The seed capsule has thick walls, is spiny and contains 3 coci. Each cocus contains one seed. The castor bean contains 50-55% oil. The oil itself contains a number of fatty acids similar to those in cooking oils, such as oleic acid, linoleic acid, stearic acid and palmitic acid. However, among vegetable oils, castor oil is distinguished by its high content (over 85%) of ricinoleic acid. No other vegetable oil contains so high a proportion of fatty hydroxyacids. Castor oils unsaturated bond,...