Productivity of castor bean irrigated with treated domestic sewage

The castor bean (Ricinus communis L.), an oil crop of economic and social importance for the Northeast region of Brazil, can be used for biodiesel production. The experiment aimed to evaluate, at a realistic scale, the productive aspects of the castor bean irrigated with treated sewage. Microsprinkler irrigation method was selected, and the experimental setup consisted of four repetitions and four different treatments: well water and recommended fertilization (T1); treated wastewater and recommended fertilization (T2); treated wastewater without external recommended fertilization (T3); and treated wastewater and half of recommended fertilization (T4). It was found that units irrigated with treated sewage exceeded the ones irrigated with well water in almost all variables. The highest productivities were in the treatments with wastewater and fertilization (T2) and wastewater and half of recommended fertilization (T4), reaching 1,986 and 1,412 kg ha(-1), respectively. The castor seeds oil content was also investigated, no significati difference among the treatments with recommended fertilization (T1, T2 and T4) was verified. The treatment tested with effluent without recommended fertilization (T3) provided very low oil content in the seeds.