Avaliação ecofisiológica da mamona nas condições ambientais do sul do Rio Grande do Sul.

Abstract

Castor is presented as a promising option for South Brazil agriculture, however, it is necessary invest in research and technology diffusion, aiming improvement in production process efficiency. Therefore, it is fundamental importance study the interaction between genotype and environment. This knowledge allows technical recommendation optimization, resulting in better crop performance and reducing crop losses risks. In this sense, the objective was study the ecophysiology of castor plant in order to identify effects of external factors on growth, development and plant productivity. The work was divided into three parts. The first part this study is performed with one cultivar sown at three times for two seasons. In the second part studies the differences between cultivars with respect to environmental conditions effects. The last part is a growth rate components analysis, trying identify which of these components and cultivars characteristics are important in growth rate. It was observed that the insolation and temperature were important in growth, and the highest growth rates were observed during November, December and January. The highest yields were observed in October and November sowings.