Brazil: Published agricultural zoning of climatic risk for the cultivation of castor bean in the 2022/2023 harvest

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), through the Department of Agricultural Policy, published this Wednesday (1st) Ordinances 207 to 243, which approve the Agricultural Zoning of Climate Risk (Zarc), crop year 2022 /2023, for the cultivation of castor bean. The study methodology was updated in 2020, by Embrapa, highlighting the culture parameters and representative cycles, inclusion of a group of short-cycle cultivars (less than 130 days), extension of castor bean zoning for all states, adjustment in the critical criteria and limits, such as the Water Needs Satisfaction Index (ISNA), temperature and rainfall at harvest for risk estimation, in addition to the insertion of the auxiliary criterion of escape for gray mold in regions or rainy seasons and the Zarc subdivision Semiarid Castor. The castor bean plant (Ricinus communis L.) is drought tolerant, being, therefore, a good crop alternative for dry regions of the country. Cultivation is not suitable for ...