Although the productivity of castor bean reduces under water deficit it is considered resistant to low precipitation conditions, thus constituting an alternative form of income for the semi-arid. Among its production derivates the ricinoleic acid stands out as a substitute for petroleum derivates. The scarce information on the effects of water deficit on castor seed production in areas where the low precipitation does not satisfy the evapotranspiration needs motivated this study, which deals with the water consumption and use efficiency of two castor cultivars (BRs(-1)49 and BRs(-1)88) submitted to different soil water contents. The study was conducted in a greenhouse located at the Federal University of Campina Grande - Campus I, during the period of February 7 to August 5, 2004, following a 2 x 4 factorial design with two cultivars, four soil water levels (40, 60, 80 and 100% of the available soil water) and three replicates. Analyzing the phytomass, the water consumption and water use efficiency it was observed that both cultivars show a similar behavior. The plants without water stress, presented a high phytomass production, thus indicating an elevated efficiency on the conversion of water used into dry matter.
Ricinus communis L.; water stress; phytomass
