A Detailed Guide to Castor Bean Planting Techniques and Yield Performance

The planting time and yield of castor beans vary by region. In South China and Southwest China, sowing is done in March-April; in East China and North China, sowing is done in April-May; in Southwest China, it can be sown in winter, spring and summer; in the tropical regions of South China, it can also be sown in winter; its yield per mu ranges from 200-500 kg, and the yield per mu is mainly affected by factors such as planting management techniques, climate and environment.

When planting and managing castor beans, the following points should be noted:

1. Before planting castor beans, select seeds, soak seeds and disinfect

Before sowing, sun-dry the castor bean seeds for 2-3 days, remove damaged seeds and seeds with pest damage, put them into a plastic container, add 45℃ warm water and soak the seeds for 15-20 hours. Take out the soaked seeds and put them into a sieve basket to drain for 30 minutes, then dress the seeds with 50% carbendazim wettable powder. The amount of powder used is 5‰ of the dry weight of the seeds. Mix the seeds evenly and dry them.

2. Germination of castor beans

For the germination of castor beans, place the treated seeds at 25℃ to germinate, turning them once every 6 hours. After they show white, put them into nutrient pots containing formula fertilizer, and when 2 true leaves have grown, transplant them into the field.

3. Planting of castor beans

For the castor bean planting field, apply 2000 kg of organic fertilizer, 10 kg of urea and 10 kg of diammonium phosphate per mu, immediately deep plow and level, then build ridges 80 cm wide and 20 cm high, and dig drainage ditches 30 cm wide and 30-35 cm deep between the ridges; when planting castor beans, make holes in the center of the ridges, scatter a layer of AM bacterial fertilizer substrate in the holes, plant the castor bean seedlings in nutrient pots in the holes, and water thoroughly.

4. Field management of castor beans

In the early stage, more nitrogen fertilizer is needed, and after flowering, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are mainly applied. After sowing, cover the holes with plant ash mixed with fine soil. Timely thin and finalize the seedlings, carry out intertillage, weeding and hilling, and remove the top, pinch off the growing tips and prune. In addition, timely prevent and control common diseases such as fusarium wilt, leaf blight and bacterial leaf spot, as well as cotton bollworm, slug moth and castor bean noctuid.