Abstract:
Castor (Ricinus communis L.) has indeterminate maturity which makes it hard to determine its
harvest time. Few studies have examined castor fruit and seed changes during maturation for
harvesting and postharvest handling. This study was conducted to determine castor fruit maturity
index and seed physicochemical characteristics at different maturity index. Luanti accession
castor fruit at different maturity stages was sampled from 21 days after anthesis (DAA) until the
fruit turned brown at 49 DAA for maturity index determination. Then, castor seeds were sampled
at different maturity index for physicochemical analysis. All data was analysed using SPSS
version 21. Result shows that Luanti accession castor can be described into four maturity indices
(young green, mature green, dried green and ripe brown). Physiological maturity occurred at 35
DAA. Seed physical characteristics was found to be significantly different at different maturity
index (p<0.05), while there was no significant difference in castor seed chemical characteristics
(p<0.05). Castor can be harvested at any maturity index for oil production since there is no
significant effect on its oil quality. The only constraint in harvesting castor is the difference in
the seed oil content at different maturity index. |
