Variability in Physiological and Yield Performance of Castor (Ricinus communis L.) Genotypes under Rainfed Condition of Alfisols

Abstract

A field study was carried out with twelve Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA) castor genotypes along with the check 48-1 to assess the variability in physiological parameters like photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (Tr) and Water Use Efficency (WUE) along with seed yield during kharif, 2013. The results revealed that two CRIDA genotypes viz., CRC-2 and CRC-9 were found to be superior over the check for seed yield and have lower gs and Tr thereby recorded improved WUE. The Pn values of selected castor genotypes were not varied significantly and the WUE is mainly influenced by Tr. Among the physiological parameters, gs and Tr showed significant negative correlation with seed yield revealing that the gs and Tr values need to be low to improve the seed yield of castor under rainfed condition.