Evaluating the Impact of N and P Fertilization on the Agronomic, Physiological, and Biochemical Properties of Castor (<i>Ricinus communis L.</i>) and Its Implications for Sustainable Oil Production

Castor bean plant (Ricinus communis L.) belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family is an important oilseed crop all over the world. It is widely cultivated throughout tropical and subtropical regions, such as Brazil, India, China, Thailand, Ethiopia, and Philippines. Only one percent of the castor oil (Molecular Formula C57H104O9) produced worldwide is used for medicinal purposes or in the production of health products. Castor oil has various uses in medicine, industry, and pharmaceuticals. It is found in food, medication, and skin care and is also used as an industrial lubricant and biodiesel component Excessive use of castor oil in pregnant women can cause premature labor. Castor oil is a triglyceride, which chemically is a glycerol molecule with each of its three-hydroxyl group esterifies with a long-chain fatty acid. Its major fatty acid is the unsaturated, hydroxylated 12-hydroxy, 9-octadecenoic acid. Castor oil, made from the Ricinus communis plant’s seeds, has been used for thousands of years. A heating process deactivates its toxic enzyme, ricin, making it safe to use. This research was conducted in the winter of 1403 in a randomized complete block design with three replications in the desert research greenhouse of the Faculty of Desert Semnan University. The number of treatments in the research design map is as follows. Control (without adding fertilizer) 2- Urea fertilizer 100 kg per hectare, 3- Phosphorus fertilizer 250 kg per hectare Ammonium phosphate 4- Animal manure 30 tons per hectare is considered in each replication. The experiment was started in winter and followed up and irrigation and maintenance were carried out in summer and irrigation was done by spraying. We concluded that species-specific responses to N and P and manure enrichment were significantly promoted net photosynthetic rate and growth factors and stem length, leaf area, number of capsules and number of seeds per capsule, number of clusters per plant, and amount of oil produced of castor