Ricinus Communis: A Climate Resilient Commercial Crop for Sustainable Environment

Due to the diverse properties of Ricinus communis (castor), this book provides a comprehensive account of castor as a ‘climate resilient and value-added crop.’ It explores the morphological variations, various cultivation techniques, genotypic differences, suitable soil types, and the crop’s yield. The book also discusses the phytoremediation efficiency of castor, focusing on its role in restoring degraded lands, abandoned mining sites, and lands contaminated by heavy metals. The application of suitable plants for the restoration of degraded lands is an efficient method due to its ecological and economic viability. Castor is a hardy angiosperm with multiple benefits. It serves the dual purpose of being an excellent phytoremediator and a source of bioenergy. Additionally, castor has proven effective in treating several human diseases. The castor plant's ability to thrive in stressed soils makes it particularly suitable for the phytoremediation of polluted lands in various climatic conditions. Given its wide range of industrial uses, castor has gained significant attention for further exploration of its biology, cultivation techniques, and genotypic variations. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, botanists, capacity builders, and policymakers. It also serves as good reading material for undergraduate and master students of botany, ecology, and environmental sciences. National and international agricultural scientists, ecologists, and policymakers will also find it a valuable resource