Site suitability analysis incorporating disease prediction in castor ( Ricinus communis L.) production
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Site suitability analysis incorporating disease prediction in castor (Ricinus communis L.) production Travis W. Witt1 · K. Colton Flynn2 · Tiago Zoz3 · Eduardo B. A. Monteiro4 Received: 2 April 2020 / Accepted: 28 September 2020 © This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the U.S.; foreign copyright protection may apply 2020
Abstract Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is an important industrial crop used in the production of nylon, cosmetics, and many industrial lubricants. Currently, castor production in the USA has nearly ceased for > 45 years, resulting in vast imports of castor oil to meet US demands. Renewed interest in this crop, especially the possibility of its use as a biolubricant, has increased the desire to learn more about where it can be produced. This study evaluated possible locations for castor production through site suitability analysis. This analysis determined potential sites for castor production by evaluating geospatial climatic, soils/geophysical, and disease data, the major drivers of castor growth and yields. The site suitability analysis determined that 12% of the contiguous USA is highly suitable for castor production. The state of Illinois has the highest percentage of arable land highly suitable for castor production (56%/8 million ha). However, due to its large size, Texas has the most land area highly suitable for castor production (~ 15 million ha). Validation of the site suitability analysis was obtained through ground-truthed data obtained from recent environmental studies testing various castor genotypes. For the southern USA ( 39.4 in) 800–1000 (31.5 in-39.4 in) 600–800 (23.6 in–31.5 in) 400–600 (15.7 in–23.6 in) 200–400 (7.9 in–15.7 in)
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