Globally, India ranks second in production under castor after Brazil. The annual production of 10.03 lakh tonnes from an area of 7.52 lakh ha and productivity of 1334 kg ha-1 in India (Anonymous, 2010a). The major castor production states in India are Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Orissa. It is also grown in Tamilnadu, Bihar, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Gujarat ranks first in India with respect to area, production and productivity, which as 4.22 lakh hectares, 4.31 lakh tonnes and 1972 kg ha-1 respectively (Anonymous, 2010b). Scattered cultivation of castor is found in almost all...