EVALUATION OF OIL CONTENT AND SEED WEIGHT IN CASTOR USING VARIOUS APPROACHES

The objective with this work to analyze the oil tenor and weight of several accesses of castor oil plant seeds for ends of genetic improvement, planted in different years. The analyses were accomplished at Embrapa Algod o Laboratory Multidisciplinary in Campina Grande -PB. 143 samples of castor oil plant seeds were used, coming of the city of Lagoa Seca - PB in 1998, 1999 and 2000, planted according to design random blocks. Initially the seeds were removed of the cold camera and made sampling with the necessary amount for analysis, placed in paper bags and acclimatized by 24 h in laboratory. The percentage of oil tenor of seeds was measured in spectrometer by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (RMN) Oxford-4000; the weight of the seeds was obtained in digital balances accurately of 0,01g. The oil tenors of most of the seeds were considered good inside of the normal pattern of values of oil of castor oil plant seed that varies from 25 to 49%, considered oils of quality for the trade, above all for the production of the biodiesel.