Castor bean is an oleaginous of relevant economic and social importance. It is a very important culture for the economy of the Northeast of Brazil due to its social inclusion, employment and devises guaranty. In the present research was studied different castor bean management aspects, aiming the optimization of water use and crop yields in the first and second cycles, being this last one obtained after a drastic pruning of the plant at the end of the first cycle. The experiment was conducted at the field in Lagoa Seca, PB. The experimental design was a randomized block in a factorial 2 x 4 scheme, consisting of two castor bean cultivars (BRS 188 - Paraguaçu and BRS 149 Nordestina) and 4 levels of available soil water (40, 60, 80, and 100%) with three replicates. The data was analyzed statistically through analysis of F variance. Plant height, stem diameter, leaf area and phytomass of shoots were evaluated. Available soil water increased all growth and development indices of the plants. The second cycle of the culture (regrowth), presented behavior similar to that observed in the first cycle, demonstrating the technical feasibility of conducting a second cycle of Castor bean.
Pruning management; Irrigation management; Ricinus communis L
