Abstract
Zimbabwe imports castor oil because local castor cultivation is limited by lack of adapted cultivars. Five exotic cultivars namely; UC-53, McNair, S-56, Hazera 1 and Hale were tested for seed yields and oil contents in six contrasting sites in Zimbabwe. The sites and corresponding altitudes (metres above sea level) were; Gwebi Variety Testing Centre (GVTC, 1448), Panmure Experiment Station (PES, 881), Makoholi Experiment Station (MES, 1204) Mlezu Agricultural College (MAC, 1200), Cotton Research Institute, (CRI, 1156) and Matopos Research Station (MRS, 1300). Cultivar Hazera I produced significantly higher seed yields ( P = 0.01) than the other cultivars at GVTC and PES. The highest yielding sites were GVTC and PES, the lowest was CR1 and the rest, intermediate. Oil contents differed significantly ( P = 0.01) among sites with MAC giving the highest oil contents for all cultivars and GVTC and MRS the lowest. Delayed planting from the start of the rainy season reduced seed yields at all sites included except at PES.
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