Tillage

• /In soils which are shallow, deep summer ploughing helps to break the hard soil pan and facilitates good root penetration and crop growth apart from controlling the weeds.

• Farmers are required to purchase the hybrid seed from authorised registered seed agent and ensure its viability.
• However, they need not renew seed stock of their improved varieties every year. Using certified seed once obtained from authorised agencies/sources, interested farmers can easily meet their requirement of quality seeds and maintain the varieties for atleast 3-4 years without any appreciable deterioration.
• For this purpose, self about hundred mostly female racemes from the selected plants in the middle of field raised from certified seed with craft or butter paper bags before the flower open.
• Multiply the seed so obtained preferably in summer under irrigation or if not possible in the subsequent kharif season following the required isolation distance of 500m from other types of castor.
• The above programme can also be organised on community basis at village level.
• Seed may be treated with Thiram or Bavistin 3g/kg seed to protect from seed borne diseases like Alternaria leaf blight, seedling blight and wilt.
• A plant population of 55,500/ha has been found to be optimum for rainfed castor in all regions.
• For achieving required plant stands in dry lands, a seed rate of 10-15 kg/ha is adequate depending on seed size.
• In case conditions are favourable and crop growth period is prolonged due to irrigation, adopt wider row spacing and low seed rate corresponding to a seed rate of 5-6 kg/ha (18,500 plants/ha).
• Such a practice not only reduces seed cost but helps to cover larger area per unit time.

• Traditionally, castor is a kharif season crop.
• However, with the introduction of new, early and high yielding varieties and hybrids, its cultivation is extended to rabi and summer seasons also.
• Summer season is not ideal for commercial cultivation of castor, except for the seed production of castor.
• Kharif is the major crop season, grown mostly as a rainfed crop.
• The sowing period differ with regions.
• The most ideal time to plant kharif castor in dry land is immediately after the receipt of rains from south west monsoon.
• In most of the regions, the sowings commence in the month of May and extended upto middle of July, but the early sown crop performs well and yields better.
• The optimum date of sowing for castor inTelangana is first fortnight of June.
• Late sowings are not desirable as the incidence serious pest, castor Semi-looper will be high, which cause extensive damage to the crop.
• The optimum dates of sowing for most of the regions are may last week to June second week.
• Dry sowings in the month of may with one irrigation for germination, to get plant stand by the onset of monsoon is highly advantageous.
• Optimum planting time of rabi and summer castor for different regions is September - October and January respectively.
• The most ideal time to plant kharif castor in dry land is immediately after the receipt of rains from South West monsoon.
• The suggested optimum seeding time for rainfed castor in different parts of the country is second fortnight of June in Telangana and first fortnight of July in Gujarat.

• In rainfed areas with undulated topography, proper preparation of land, sowing the crop along the contour and on ridges, the seed row and 2-3 intercultures helps in conservation of soil moisture apart from controlling weeds thereby resulting in increased seed yields.
• Castor seed takes around 7-8 days in kharif and 15 days in winter to germinate depending on the prevailing temperatures.
• As far as possible place the seed in a moist zone 10-12cm below the soil surface to ensure proper moist soil seed contact for sufficiently long period and thereby obtain good germination.
• To eliminate light seeds and improve plant stand in drylands, soak the seed in water for 24 to 48 hours prior to seeding.

• The following are some of the most and viable intercropping systems recommended for different rainfed regions of the country.

• For maximum yields from sole cropping, prefer medium and short duration varieties.
• The traditional long duration varieties are however preferred for mixed/intercropping.
• Maintain the population of base crop as per the recommended levels suggested.
• Adopt population levels for intercrop as per its specific proportion in the system.
• Avoid continuous cropping of castor year after year in the same block and adopt crop rotations of 2 or 3 years.

• Castor is usually a whole season/year crop. However, under intensive management and irrigation, it is possible to take more than one crop in a year by choosing early and medium duration varieties/hybrids of castor and adopting specific agronomic manipulations such as nipping.
• Castor-groundnut, castor-sesame or castor-sunflower are some such possibilities.