Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is an important non-edible oilseed crop with diversified industrial usage. In the present study, twenty-six genotypes of castor were analyzed for total seed oil content using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and fatty acid profiling through gas chromatography with flame-ionization detector (GC-FID) to update the database of this important industrial crop. In the present study, the highest seed oil content was determined in SHB-1019 genotype which was 45.86 %.

Total saturated fatty acid, steric acid and palmitic acid per cent was recorded higher in SKI-370 genotype which was 3.38 %, 1.92 % and 1.46 %, respectively. Among the all genotypes, the higher per cent of total unsaturated fatty acid, ricinoleic acid and linolenic acid was observed higher in genotype VI-9 whereas, mono unsaturated fatty acid (oleic acid) and poly unsaturated fatty acid (linoleic) was found higher in genotype GEETA. The present study can be very important in the selection of male parents for the development of high ricinoleic acid castor hybrid. This will ultimately help in increasing the production and quality of industrially important oil.

Highlights

• Twenty six genotypes of castor were analyzed for total seed oil content through NMR spectroscopy and fatty acid composition through GC-FID.
• The highest seed oil content (45.86 %) was determined in SHB-1019 genotype.
• The highest oleic acid/linoleic acid ratio was 0.536 in SH-72 genotype indicating higher stability of castor oil for industrial applications.