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Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is an important nonedible industrial crop that produces oil, which is used in the production of medicines, lubricants, and other products. However, the quality and quantity of castor oil are critical factors that can be degraded by various insect pest attacks. The traditional method of identifying the correct category of pests required a significant amount of time and expertise. To solve this issue, automatic insect pest detection methods combined with precision agriculture can help farmers in providing adequate support for sustainable agriculture development. For accurate predictions, the recognition system requires a sufficient amount of data from a real-world situation, which is not always available. In this regard, data augmentation is a popular technique used for data enrichment. The research conducted in this investigation established an insect pest dataset of common castor pests. This paper proposes a hybrid manipulation-based approach for data augmentation to solve the issue of the lack of a suitable dataset for effective vision-based model training. The deep convolutional neural networks VGG16, VGG19, and ResNet50 are then adopted to analyze the effects of the proposed augmentation method. The prediction results show that the proposed method addresses the challenges associated with adequate dataset size and significantly improves overall performance when compared to previous methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seed triacylglycerol (TAG), a major component of vegetable oil, consists of a glycerol esterified with three fatty acids. Vegetable oil has industrial applications and is widely used as edible oil. The increasing demand for plant oils, owing to population growth, it is crucial to enhance the oil content in seeds. We found castor WRINKLED1A (RcWRI1A) and R2R3-type MYB domain protein 306 (RcMYB306) which have homology with Arabidopsis WRI1 (AtWRI1) and AtMYB96 which regulate genes involved in fatty acid and TAG synthesis, respectively. These castor genes were separately and jointly overexpressed using seed-specific promoters in an oil crop, camelina (Camelina sativa). Overexpression of RcWRI1A, RcMYB306, or RcWRI1A + RcMYB306 increased the total seed oil content in camelina. However, this increase was not significantly different from that observed during the overexpression of RcWRI1A or/and RcMYB306. RcWRI1A overexpression increased the fatty acid content, including 16:0, 18:2, 18:3. Contrastingly, RcMYB306 overexpression increased the 18:1, 18:2, 18:3, 20:0 and 20:1 fatty acid. In the RcWRI1A + RcMYB306 lines, changes in fatty acid composition demonstrated the combined effects of these transcription factors. These results suggest that RcWRI1A and RcMYB306 can be used to improve the productivity of oil crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ukrainian Food Journal is the property of National University of Food Technologies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

On a global scale, species biodiversity is declining rapidly, including that of terrestrial invertebrates. Environmental heterogeneity is viewed as a key factor promoting biodiversity, and previous studies have shown how beavers can have a profound effect on both habitat heterogeneity and abundance and diversity of a plethora of water-related and terrestrial organisms. However, less is known about the effects of beavers and successional stages on the terrestrial invertebrate community. Here, we review existing knowledge and outline research trajectories to improve our understanding of how beavers affect the terrestrial invertebrate community with special focus on the importance of each successional stage that beavers provide on terrestrial invertebrates. Although beavers can have a large impact on the terrestrial invertebrate community, more studies are needed that take into consideration successional stages and with standardized sampling designs. A better understanding of how beaver activity affects the terrestrial invertebrate community can help in conservation of endangered species and restoration of biodiversity in terrestrial habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prolonged crop duration (150-210 days) and tall plant height (>100 cm) of castor either hinders its adaptability to newer and niche areas or fitting into the cropping sequence of conventional castor growing areas. The present study aims at evaluating male lines for their agro-morphological characters, combining ability for seed yield, yield components and resistance to Fusarium wilt. Node number to primary, first and second order of secondary (P, S1 and S2) racemes were taken as indicators of flowering and maturity duration of male lines while data on plant height up to primary spike was recorded for plant stature. Twenty-six improved monoecious lines were evaluated for their agro-morphological characters in an ARBD design along with three checks replicated five times during 2017-18 kharif season. Simultaneously all the 26 lines were screened for wilt resistance in wilt sick plot in two replications. Nineteen monoecious lines were resistant to wilt (0-20% wilt incidence) while four lines were moderately resistant to wilt (20-30%). Four lines viz., ICS-121, ICS-150, ICS-127 and ICS-139 were promising with significantly low node number to P, S1 and S2 order of racemes compared to early maturing check, DCS-9 (12.1, 5.8, 4.9). Eight male lines were significantly shorter than the very tall type checks, 48-1 and DCS-107 (>85 cm) while ICS-121 (57.5 cm) was on par with the medium statured check, DCS-9 (59.7 cm). Fifteen hybrids, generated by crossing three pistillate lines and five selected wilt resistant male lines in a line x tester design were evaluated along with eight parents and two hybrid checks during 2019-20 kharif season. SKP-84 (pistillate line) and ICS-139 (male line) were identified as good combiners for seed yield and majority of the yield components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spodoptera frugiperda is the main pest of maize. One of the alternatives proposed for its control is the implementation of products of botanical origin, such as those derived from Ricinus communis. In this work, the insecticidal and insectistatic activities of methanolic and hydrolyzed methanolic extracts of the aerial parts of R. communis and kaempferol against S. frugiperda are evaluated. The methanolic extract presented a larval mortality rate of 55% and an accumulated mortality rate of 65% starting at 4000 ppm, with LC50 values of 3503 (larvae) and 2851 (accumulated); meanwhile, from a concentration of 1000 ppm, a decrease in pupa weight at 24 h of 20.5 mg was observed when compared to the control. The hydrolyzed methanolic extract presented a larval mortality and accumulated mortality rate of 60% from a concentration of 1000 ppm, and a decrease in pupa weight at 24 h of 35.31 mg was observed, when compared to the control. For the compound kaempferol 3-β-D-glucopyranoside, a larval mortality rate of 65% and an accumulated mortality rate of 80% were observed from 800 ppm, with LC50 values of 525.2 (larvae) and 335.6 ppm (accumulated); meanwhile, at 300 ppm, a decrease in pupa weight of 25.59 mg after 24 h was observed when compared to the control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Samia cynthia ricini Boisduval Lepidoptera:Saturniidae is a lepidopteran insect that has a gregarious behaviour during their larval stage. This research aimed to determine the minimum population limit of larvae that can support the survival of S. c. ricini by observing the development time, fecundity, and hatchability of eggs produced by adult moths under different larval densities rearing conditions. The research was conducted by observing the lifecycle and development of S. c. ricini at different population densities. The results showed that density had effect on the development time of S. c. ricini egg only. Population density also affects the survival and adult fecundity of S. c. ricini. A density of 30 is the minimum population required to support the success of S. c. ricini's life. Samia cynthia ricini reared at this density had the highest survival rate, faster egg development time, heavier cocoon shell weight and highest fecundity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Knowledge & Management of Aquatic Ecosystems is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In order to improve the cleaning effect of the castor shelling mixture, an air-sieve castor cleaning device was developed. The structure of the cleaning device was optimized by experiment and simulation based on the discrete element method. The results show that the sieving efficiency of the square distribution is 98.23% and the loss rate is 2.39%, both of which are better than the triangular distribution. The sieving efficiency in the condition of a 14 mm sieve hole diameter is 98.23%. For the conditions of 15 mm and 16 mm sieve hole diameters, the sieving efficiencies are 96.64% and 96.69%, respectively. Therefore, a sieve hole diameter of 14 mm is more beneficial for the sieving of castor capsules. The sieving efficiency is 94.0–99.5%, and the loss rate is 0.5–3.0% under 5–9° sieve inclination. The cleaning effect is better through comprehensive analysis when the sieve surface inclination is 8°. The parameters of maximum sieving efficiency combination, minimum loss rate combination, and optimal cleaning effect were obtained by optimizing the operating parameters of the cleaning device. The operating parameters were adjusted, and then the three combinations of parameters were tested. It is found that the impurity content of castor seeds is within 1%, which meets the requirements of the device design. This study can provide a reference for developing high-efficiency castor cleaning devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ericulture, rearing of eri silk worm plays a significant role in rural livelihood security especially among marginalized and weaker sections. Castor (Ricinus communis L.) being the primary host plant of eri silk worm Samia cynthia ricini Boisduval, its rearing can be taken up, without losing the seed yield. To study the effect of defoliation on seed yield and additional income, eight castor genotypes viz., Haritha, Kranthi, Kiran, DPC-9, PCH-111, PCH-222, GCH-4 and DCH-177 were studied during 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 kharif and rabi seasons at the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Palem. Significantly no deviation in seed yield was observed from non-defoliated samples, and 30% defoliated plants. The batches reared on the leaves of PCH-111 gave significantly maximum shell yield of 15.1 kg/ ha followed by GCH-4 (14.8 kg/ ha) and PCH-222 (14.6 kg/ ha). By utilizing the 30% defoliated leaf for rearing, significantly more gross returns and net profit were obtained with PCH-111 (Rs. 55,582 and 37,452), GCH-4 (Rs. 55,144 and 37,036) and PCH-222 (Rs. 54,820 and 36,635). On an average almost all the genotypes gave an additional income of Rs. 4000/ ha in addition to the regular seed yield with rearing of the silk worm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Genetika (0534-0012) is the property of Serbian Genetics Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study theoretically analyzed the cutting process of castor and determined the structural parameters of the key component of the castor disc-cutting device, aiming to obtain the optimal operation parameter combination and reduce the cutting resistance and power consumption during the harvesting process. The effects of the cutting-disc thickness, cutting-disc rotational speed, feeding speed, and edge angle on the cutting power consumption were studied using an orthogonal rotation combination experiment. The response surface method was used to optimize the parameters, and the mathematical relationship model between the cutting power consumption and each factor was established to determine the optimal parameter combination for disc cutting. The simulation results showed that the optimal combination of cutting parameters was cutting-disc thickness of 3 mm, cutting-disc rotational speed of 550 r/min, feeding speed of 0.6 m/s, and edge angle of 20°. Under these conditions, the cutting power consumption was 1.20375 J. The test results were basically consistent with the model prediction results. Therefore, this study provided a theoretical basis and reference for the design and improvement of castor harvesters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Castor is possibly one of Nigeria's most under-appreciated assets. Its potential as an industrial raw material can be fully realized by a critical appraisal of its value chain. This article reviews castor value chain in Nigeria and identifies the constraints and strategies for improving its use as an industrial raw material. The strategies proposed can serve as a guide for castor value addition among operators and policy makers in a bid to maximize castor industrial potentials. A review of the uses of castor after value addition indicated that it can be used in over ten industries, namely; agriculture, food, paper, electronics and telecommunication, textile, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and perfume, paint, lubricant, plastic and rubber industries. Constraints such as insect and disease problems, weak input/service market, inadequate knowledge and skill, post-harvest losses and inadequate process technology serve as obstacles to successful value addition for castor. Strategies bordering on developing the input market, provision of quality seedlings and fertilizers, capacity development and development of farmers institutions were proposed to bridge the gaps, encourage value addition and ensure the development of castor as an industrial raw material. It is believed that if the recommendations are implemented, castor can attract up to 25 billion Naira (105,488,032 million dollars) to the Nigerian economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Seasonality classification is a well-known and important part of time series analysis. Understanding the seasonality of a biological event can contribute to an improved understanding of its causes and help guide appropriate responses. Observational data, however, are not comprised of biological events, but timestamped diagnosis codes the combination of which (along with additional requirements) are used as proxies for biological events. As there exist different methods for determining the seasonality of a time series, it is necessary to know if these methods exhibit concordance. In this study we seek to determine the concordance of these methods by applying them to time series derived from diagnosis codes in observational data residing in databases that vary in size, type, and provenance.Methods: We compared 8 methods for determining the seasonality of a time series at three levels of significance (0.01, 0.05, and 0.1), against 10 observational health databases. We evaluated 61,467 time series at each level of significance, totaling 184,401 evaluations.Results: Across all databases and levels of significance, concordance ranged from 20.2 to 40.2%. Across all databases and levels of significance, the proportion of time series classified seasonal ranged from 4.9 to 88.3%. For each database and level of significance, we computed the difference between the maximum and minimum proportion of time series classified seasonal by all methods. The median within-database difference was 54.8, 34.7, and 39.8%, for p < 0.01, 0.05, and 0.1, respectively.Conclusion: Methods of binary seasonality classification when applied to time series derived from diagnosis codes in observational health data produce inconsistent results. The methods exhibit considerable discord within all databases, implying that the discord is a result of the difference between the methods themselves and not due to the choice of database. The results indicate that researchers relying on automated methods to assess the seasonality of time series derived from diagnosis codes in observational data should be aware that the methods are not interchangeable and thus the choice of method can affect the generalizability of their work. Seasonality determination is highly dependent on the method chosen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodeterioration plays a significant role in the damage and loss of monuments including gypsum work. Bacteria and fungi are mainly responsible for the biodeterioration of gypsum work. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of essential oils (Thyme, clove, cinnamon, garlic, castor, and olive) on the growth of the main fungi and bacteria which isolated from the Nujoumi Dome which is also called the Dome of the Toshka Martyrs and is located in Aswan, Egypt. Microbial swabs were taken from these infected objects, and the isolated microorganisms were characterized. The next genera were identified: four fungal isolates were isolated and identified as Aspergillus japonicas, Aspergillus terrus, Penicillium commune, and Cladosporium elatum while two species of bacteria were isolated, identified as Bacillus cereus and Listeria monocytogenes. Garlic oil had the best effect on all isolates, showing 35 and 33 mm inhibition of growth of Bacillus cereus and Listeria monocytogenes, respectively, while 28 mm inhabitation of growth of Penicillium commune, 25 mm inhibition of Aspergillus japonicas, and finally 20 mm inhibition of both Aspergillus terrus and Cladosporium elatum. In conclusion, garlic oil could be an effective natural product for controlling the biodeterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: One of the key aspects of neuronal differentiation is the array of neurotransmitters and neurotransmitter receptors that each neuron possesses. One important goal of developmental neuroscience is to understand how these differentiated properties are established during development. In this paper, we use fluorescence activated cell sorting and RNA-seq to determine the transcriptome of the Drosophila CNS midline cells, which consist of a small number of well-characterized neurons and glia. These data revealed that midline cells express 9 neuropeptide precursor genes, 13 neuropeptide receptor genes, and 31 small-molecule neurotransmitter receptor genes. In situ hybridization and high-resolution confocal analyses were carried-out to determine the midline cell identity for these neuropeptides and the neuropeptide receptors. The results revealed a surprising level of diversity. Neuropeptide genes are expressed in a variety of midline cell types, including motoneurons, GABAergic interneurons, and midline glia. These data revealed previously unknown functional differences among the highly-related iVUM neurons. There also exist segmental differences in expression for the same neuronal sub-type. Similar experiments on midline-expressed neuropeptide receptor genes reveal considerable diversity in synaptic inputs. Multiple receptor types were expressed in midline interneurons and motoneurons, and, in one case, link feeding behavior to gut peristalsis and locomotion. There were also segmental differences, variations between the 3 iVUMs, and three hormone receptor genes were broadly expressed in most midline cells. The Drosophila Castor transcription factor is present at high levels in iVUM5, which is both GABAergic and expresses the short neuropeptide F precursor gene. Genetic and misexpression experiments indicated that castor specifically controls expression of the short neuropeptide F precursor gene, but does not affect iVUM cell fate or expression of Gad1. This indicates a novel function for castor in regulating neuropeptide gene expression. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Tapuya: Latin American Science, Technology & Society is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The neuroblast timer genes hunchback, Krü ppel, nubbin and castor are expressed in temporal sequence in neural stem cells, and in corresponding spatial sequence along the Drosophila blastoderm. As canonical gap genes, hunchback and Krü ppel play a crucial role in insect segmentation, but the roles of nubbin and castor in this process remain ambiguous. We have investigated the expression and functions of nubbin and castor during segmentation in the beetle Tribolium. We show that Tc-hunchback, Tc-Krü ppel, Tc-nubbin and Tc-castor are expressed sequentially in the segment addition zone, and that Tc-nubbin regulates segment identity redundantly with two previously described gap/gap-like genes, Tc-giant and Tc-knirps. Simultaneous knockdown of Tc-nubbin, Tc-giant and Tc-knirps results in the formation of ectopic legs on abdominal segments. This homeotic transformation is caused by loss of abdominal Hox gene expression, likely due to expanded Tc-Krüppel expression. Our findings support the theory that the neuroblast timer series was co-opted for use in insect segment patterning, and contribute to our growing understanding of the evolution and function of the gap gene network outside of Drosophila. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is one of the world's top ten oil crops. China is the second largest producer of castor beans, but China's castor bean acreage has been declining. A principal reason for this decline is the prevalence of weeds and the absence of herbicide resistant varieties of castor plants. In this study, we used Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer to introduce the EPSPS (5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase) gene, which confers resistance to glyphosate, and the Bar (phosphinothricin N-acetyltransferase) gene, encoding resistance to glufosinate, into castor 2129 (high stem excellent recovery line) and CSR 181 (dwarf stem excellent recovery line). The transgenic plants exhibited significantly increased expression of the EPSPS and Bar genes and significantly increased resistance to glyphosate and glufosinate. Proteomic analysis showed differences in the amounts of 20 proteins in the dwarf stem transgenic plants. Nine of these proteins are involved in photosynthesis and indirectly related to the mechanism of action of the Bar gene. Eight proteins are involved in defense, repair, stress response, oxidative phosphorylation, and metabolic pathways and are indirectly related to the mechanism of action of the EPSPS gene. These results provide a foundation for the preparation of high herbicide resistant castor varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over reliance on fossil fuels to meet the ever increasing energy demands has adversely affected the economy and environment of Pakistan. The transportation sector is the major consumer of these imported petroleum products. Among these petroleum products, high speed diesel and gasoline are the most consumed. Bio-fuels, produced from indigenous biomass, can surmount the twofold problem of deteriorating environment and sustainable supply of energy resource. As an agricultural country, Pakistan prodigiously produces biomass (e.g. animal dung, molasses and bagasse) which can replace natural gas, gasoline and electricity conventionally produced from fossil fuels. However, an alternative to high speed diesel has not been identified yet. This review paper is focused on developing a strategy for identifying potential biodiesel feed-stocks suitable for Pakistan and their contribution towards "the solution" of sustainable energy and environment. The selection parameters for feedstock, land, irrigation, oil yield, composition and maturation duration are discussed in detail. Based on agro-climatic conditions of the Pakistan, castor and jatropha cultivated on water scarce lands are lucrative feed stocks for bio-diesel. Moreover, by-products of both these feed stocks like seed cake and glycerine are explored for production of gaseous fuel such as bio-gas or hydrogen, electricity generation and animal meal production which can render biodiesel economically viable. An integrated approach for biodiesel production associated with by-products utilization has been proposed. Image 10634 • Latest trends of fossil and renewable energy mix in Pakistan has been discussed. • Availability of land in accordance with agro-climatic conditions is evaluated. • Crop and oil yields are significantly affected by soil fertility and rain per year. • Co-cultivation with castor for short term and jatropha for longer term is suggested. • A strategy integrating biodiesel production and by-products utilization is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been strong interests in producing unusual fatty acids in oilseed crops to provide renewable industrial feedstock. Results are so far largely disappointing since much lower amounts of such fatty acids accumulate in genetically engineered seeds than in their original natural sources. It has been suggested that the flux of unusual fatty acids through phosphatidylcholine (PC) represents a major bottleneck for high accumulation of such fatty acids in triacylglycerol (TAG). We show here that a phospholipase C-like protein (RcPLCL1) from castor bean, which accumulates nearly 90% of the hydroxylated ricinoleic acid in its seed TAG, increases the amount of hydroxy fatty acids (HFAs) when co-expresses with the fatty acid hydroxylase (RcFAH12) in transgenic seed of Camelina sativa. RcPLCL1 shows hydrolyzing activities on both PC and phosphatidylinositol substrates in our in vitro assay conditions. The PC-PLC activity of the RcPLCL1 may have increased the efficiency of HFA-PC to diacylglycerol conversion, which explains our observation of increased HFA contents in TAG concomitant with decreased HFA in the membrane lipid PC during seed development. Consequently, this may also alleviate the potential detrimental effect of HFA on germination of the engineered camelina seeds. Our results provide new knowledge that will help design effective strategies to engineer high levels of HFAs in transgenic oilseeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The role of insecticidal application and host plant resistance in managing Spodoptera exigua has been well documented, but the effect of different host plants, on which the pest cycles its population in the field, has seldom been investigated. Therefore, we have studied the vulnerability of S. exigua against commonly used insecticides (cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos, lufenuron, and emamectin benzoate) with different mode of actions when it switches its generations from natal to auxiliary hosts and vice versa. Different field populations being established on different host plants including castor, cauliflower, cotton, okra, and spinach were collected and reared in the laboratory before insecticidal bioassays. The role of larval diet and host plant switching on their response to tolerate applied insecticides was studied using leaf‐dip bioassay methods. Host switching demonstrated a significant role in altering the vulnerability of S. exigua populations to tested insecticides. Spodoptera exigua sourced from castor, when switched host to okra and spinach, exhibited 50% higher mortality when treated with emamectin benzoate. This trend in mortality was consistent upon complete host switch cycle (natal—auxiliary—natal host). However, the highest increase (92%) in vulnerability was recorded when the larvae were shifted to spinach from cotton. In general, chlorpyrifos and lufenuron had highest efficacies in terms of larval mortality. The findings of present studies provide insights to a better understanding the behavior of polyphagous pests and the role of different host plants in altering the susceptibility of these pests against applied insecticides. Ultimately the results warrant that due consideration should be given to cropping patterns and time of host switching by pest population during planning and executing chemical control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experimental material consisted of ten monoecious lines, their 45 F1S developed through diallel mating excluding reciprocals, which was evaluated in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The analysis of variance for combining ability revealed that mean square values due to both GCA and SCA and were significant, accordingly the estimates of both σ² GCA and σ² SCA were also significant for all the characters indicating an importance of both additive and non-additive gene effects for the inheritance of studied characters. However, values of potence ratio and predictability ratio revealed preponderance of additive genetic variance for all the characters. Parents ANDCI 10-12, ANDCI 8, ANDCI 10-4 and ANDCI 10-3 were good general combiners for seed yield per plant and other yield contributing characters. The hybrids ANDCI 10-1 x ANDCI 9, ANDCI10-11 x ANDCI 10-12 and ANDCI 8 x ANDCI 10-11,had high per se performance, high heterotic effects and desired sca effects for seed yield per plant and its component characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Castor and its derived oil, the so-called ‘‘castor oil’’, are known from the ancient times, when the oil was used for cosmectics, or as a laxative, or as a fuel in lamps. Nowadays, castor oil has a completely renewed interest, not for its direct applications, but thanks to various possibilities in downstream processing, which involves chemical modifications & reactions. Indeed, castor oil has this specifiticy of a remarkable uniformity, with about 90% of the fatty acid chains of the triglyceride composed of ricinoleic acid, a natural fatty acid behaving a hydroxyle group, which is a unique feature in vegetal oils. Then, it is possible to envision reactions either on the ester group, on the double bond or even on the hydroxyle moety to yield a variety of chemicals. In this paper, after a short description of the castor plant, we give statistics on the production of castor grains and an overview on the oil extraction process. Then, we report the market prices before listing the main properties of castor oil. These latter are quite specific and explain the large variety of possible direct applications. At last, the possible chemical transformations are listed, before giving two practical cases, as actual industrialisation success stories.

Classical theory states that generalist foragers should specialise to maximise their net energy intake on a temporal basis. Within broad distributions, generalists select optimal food sources; however, the availability and representation of selected food items in the diets of generalist consumers vary geographically. Conversely, specialists, within their entire range, concentrate on specific food resources, and their diets remain constant in varying environments. The distributions of highly palatable food resources might influence the foraging patterns of species with opportunistic foraging behaviours. We used the Eurasian beaver ( Castor fiber) as a model for what is considered an opportunistic generalist herbivore. We analysed whether the beavers' foraging pattern could show specialisation. Five beaver populations living in diverse environments were evaluated, and their diet choices for overwintering were examined. Our data indicated low proportions of generality with regard to the beavers' foraging behaviours. Within 110 territories, we observed that beavers did pursue choosy opportunistic strategies, though only to a small extent. Although we confirmed the established knowledge that beavers prefer to browse mainly poplars and willows, we also found that, contrary to many published studies, their preferences occurred regardless of riparian vegetation composition. While the beavers examined in this study preferred six genera of woody vegetation, we argue that they may have been inclined primarily to use two genera with regard to both food choice and spatial territory placement. Thus, the opportunistic feeding behaviours of generalists observed in this study may be influenced by evaluation under varying conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a model for analyzing the production of novel fatty acids in oilseeds, we used the genetic and molecular techniques available for Arabidopsis to characterize modifying mutations affecting the accumulation of hydroxy fatty acids in the seeds of Arabidopsis plants that express a transgene for the castor bean fatty acid hydroxylase, FAH12. We developed a high-throughput analytical system and used it to identify three complementation classes of mutations with reduced hydroxy fatty acid accumulation from among Arabidopsis M3 seed samples derived from chemical mutagenesis. We identified one of the mutations by positional cloning as a single base pair change in a gene encoding NADH:cytochrome b5 reductase ( CBR1, At5g17770). When expressed in yeast, the mutant form of the enzyme was less active and less stable than the wild-type enzyme. Characterization of homozygous mutant lines with and without the FAH12 transgene ( FAH12 cbr1-1 and cbr1-1, respectively) indicated that the only detectable consequence of the cbr1-1 mutation was on desaturase and hydroxylase reactions in the developing seed. The leaf and root fatty compositions, as well as the growth, development and seed production of mutant plants were indistinguishable from wild type. Interestingly, while the cbr1-1 mutation reduced the accumulation of hydroxy fatty acids in seeds by 85%, the effects on 18:1 and 18:2 desaturation reactions were much less (<25% and <60%, respectively). These results suggest that there is competition in developing seeds among the several reactions that utilize reduced cytochrome b5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because castor produces oil with a high content of hydroxyl FA (90% ricinoleate), we were interested in determining the flexibility of castor seed microsomes in incorporating other hydroxyl FA into castor oil. To this end, we incubated the [14C]-labeled 12:0 FA laurate (La), 11-hydroxylaurate, and 12-hydroxylaurate with castor microsomes that were capable of synthesizing castor oil. The molecular species of PC and acylglycerols (AG) incorporating these nonendogenous FA of castor were identified by reversed-phase C8 and C18 HPLC, respectively. [14C] Laurate was incorporated into the molecular species of PC and AG at levels of 10 and 4%, respectively, that of [14C] ricinoleate. Similar to those from the incorporation of six [14C]FA reported previously [ricinoleate (R), oleate (O), linoleate (L), linolenate (Ln), stearate (S), and palmitate (P)], the molecular species of PC incorporating [14C]laureate were LLa-PC > PLa-PC > OLa-PC > LnLa-PC > SLa-PC > RLa-PC. The molecular species of AG incorporating [14C]laurate were RRLa > LaLa > RLa > RLLa > ROLa > LOLa > LLLa > LLa > LLnLa > RSLa > OOLa. The retention times for lipids incorporating laurate were similar to those of lipids incorporating linolenate, because the equivalent carbon numbers of laurate and linolenate are the same. Relative retention times of the molecular species of PC and AG containing laurate are also reported here. The incorporation of 11-hydroxylaurate and 12-hydroxylaurate into PC and AG was not detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the castor plant (Ricinus communis L.), 2S albumins are highly allergenic seed proteins and are detrimental to the reintroduction of castor as a U.S. crop. Others have shown that the two 2S albumins are encoded by a single gene and processed from a precursor protein in castor. Little is known about the expression pattern of the 2S albumin gene. As part of a genetic approach to eliminating 2S albumin from castor, we investigated the developmental expression of this gene in castor seed. To assess seed developmental age quickly and accurately, we established a set of simple criteria, which included two visual markers, seed coat color and endosperm volume, and defined three phases that encompass the course of castor seed development. Northern analysis indicated that the 2S albumin mRNA is highly abundant in the mid-phase of seed development. A comparison of 2S albumin genomic DNA and cDNA clones from two castor cultivars indicated that only a single gene is expressed. Protein domain sequence analysis revealed that castor 2S albumin contains the trypsin/α-amylase inhibitor family domain, suggesting a role for the albumin in insect resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triglyceride (TG) estolides were synthesized from the hydroxy moieties of lesquerella and castor oils with oleic acid. Complete esterification of the hydroxy oils was possible when a slight excess of oleic acid was employed (1 to 1.5 mole equivalents). The estolides could be formed in the absence of catalyst at 175 to 250°C under vacuum or a nitrogen atmosphere. The optimal reaction conditions were found to be under vacuum at 200°C for 12 h for lesquerella and 24 h for castor oil. The lesquerella esterification reaction was completed in half the time of the for castor and with lower equivalents of oleic acid due to the difunctional hydroxy nature of lesquerella TG compared to the trifunctional nature of castor TG. Interesterification or dehydration of the resulting estolides to conjugated FA was not a significant side reaction, with only a slight amount of dehydration occurring at the highest temperature studied, 250°C. Use of a mineral-or Lewis-acid catalyst increased the rate of TG-estolide formation at 75°C but resulted in the formation of a dark oil, and the reaction did not go to completion in 24 h. Estolide numbers (i.e., degree of estolide formation) for the reaction and characterization of the products were made by 1H NMR and 13C NMR. The decrease in the hydroxy methine signal at 3.55 ppm was used to quantify the degree of esterification by comparing this integral to the integral of the alpha methylene protons on the glycerine at 4.28 and 4.13 ppm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selectivity and efficiency of urea complex (UC) formation-based fractionation of free fatty acids (FFA) were examined. A rapid, simple, and inexpensive procedure recently developed for urea fractionation was applied to lipid mixtures containing various polyunsaturated and hydroxy FFA species. Urea treatment proved useful for isolating polyunsaturated FFA (PUFA) from FFA derived from fish, borage, and linseed oils by removal of saturated and monounsaturated FFA, but was not effective for isolating hydroxy FFA from the FFA derived from castor, Lesquerella, and Dimorphotheca oils. In situations where FFA within the crystalline or UC phase were rich in PUFA, the urea/FFA mole ratio of the UC was relatively higher, with lower recovery of FFA in this phase. The distribution of urea between the crystalline phase and the solvent was not significantly affected by the FFA composition of feed nor the overall ratio of FFA to urea. It was strongly dependent on the overall mass fraction of solvent. Phospholipids and mono-, di-, and triacylglycerols were poor templates for UC formation relative to FFA. Their inclusion in acylglycerol mixtures containing FFA reduced UC formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]