African Journal of
Agricultural Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Agric. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1991-637X
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJAR
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 6894

Full Length Research Paper

Variability evaluation of castor seeds (Ricinus communis) by multivariate analysis of local accessions from Mexico

M. S. Acosta-Navarrete
  • M. S. Acosta-Navarrete
  • Departamento de Ingeniería Bioquímica, Instituto Tecnológico de Celaya, C. P. 38010, Celaya, Guanajuato, México.
  • Google Scholar
J. E. Botello-Alvarez
  • J. E. Botello-Alvarez
  • Departamento de Ingeniería Bioquímica, Instituto Tecnológico de Celaya, C. P. 38010, Celaya, Guanajuato, México.
  • Google Scholar
M. Hernandez-Martínez
  • M. Hernandez-Martínez
  • Departamento de Ingeniería Bioquímica, Instituto Tecnológico de Celaya, C. P. 38010, Celaya, Guanajuato, México.
  • Google Scholar
J. M. Barron-Adame
  • J. M. Barron-Adame
  • Departamento de Tecnología de información y Comunicación, Universidad Tecnológica del Suroeste de Guanajuato, C.P. 38400. Valle de Santiago, Guanajuato, México.
  • Google Scholar
J. Quintanilla-Domínguez
  • J. Quintanilla-Domínguez
  • Departamento de Tecnología de información y Comunicación, Universidad Tecnológica del Suroeste de Guanajuato, C.P. 38400. Valle de Santiago, Guanajuato, México.
  • Google Scholar
G. Gonzalez-Alatorre
  • G. Gonzalez-Alatorre
  • Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Instituto Tecnológico de Celaya, C. P. 38010, Celaya, Guanajuato, México.
  • Google Scholar
S. Montes-Hernandez
  • S. Montes-Hernandez
  • Agrícolas y Pecuarias Campo Experimental Bajio, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, C.P. 38010. Celaya, Guanajuato, México.
  • Google Scholar
J. Quintanilla-Domínguez
  • J. Quintanilla-Domínguez
  • Departamento de telemática. Universidad Politécnica de Juventino Rosas, C.P. 38253, Santa Cruz de Juventino Rosas, Guanajuato, México.
  • Google Scholar


  •  Received: 23 May 2017
  •  Accepted: 04 July 2017
  •  Published: 20 July 2017

Abstract

Castor oil is an important raw material used in a diverse range of chemical products with high added value. From a collection of Mexican grown seeds from the castor plant (Ricinus communis), 18 accessions with a high potential for oil production and panicle indehiscent were selected and cultivated. The variability was studied from three aspects: seed yield, seed composition and the oil quality, through 22 descriptors measured experimentally. Two hybrid seeds cultivated under the same conditions were used as a control. The variability was studied by descriptive statistics and the conformation of clusters via multivariate techniques. It was found that the average coefficient of variation in the descriptors was 32.5%. The seed and oil yields together with content of minor fatty acids corresponded to the descriptors with the greatest dispersion. The correlation coefficients between the descriptors were low. The clustering methods used were capable of identifying and isolating the various hybrids of the local accessions. The principal components analysis identified a group of 6 local seeds with an average seed yield but high oil content.

Key words: Fatty acids, yield, Ricinus communis.