Castor seeds are encapsulated inside a spiny, greenish capsule which contains three cocci and each of which has a seed.It is primarily exploited as a raw material for the production of castor oil and de-oiled cake.
Seed analysis plays a key role in the identification and selection of elite breed of castor seeds for cultivation and oil extraction. Castor seed analysis follows a standard procedure as other agricultural crops and it comprises of the following steps:
1) Seed sampling
2) Seed purity
3) Seed moisture
4) Seed germination
India leads the world's production of castor seeds with an annual output of 880,000 tonnes during 2010-2011.