(Project conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Oren Ostersetzer-Biran

in collaboration with Dr. Ilan Paran and Prof. Yedidia Gafni, ARO).

Castor oil is among the best substances for producing biodiesel because it unique fatty acid content is among the highest oil yield average per area of all plants, and since it is the only oil that is well soluble in alcohol. Castor-oil plant is highly vigor, easy to grow and demonstrate considerable resistance to high temperatures, drought and salinity conditions and thus, seems as an ideal crop for extensive growth under semi-arid regions where it could become a farming alternative. Currently, we have ~120 castor varieties. Out of these, 15 are studied for their rapid germination capability. Five lines have seed-to-seed growth period of 80~90 days, while two were found to producing higher amount of oil/ ha. A local line is recently used to establish tissue culture plantlets in sterile conditions to study transformation and regeneration of castor bean.