The castor bean plant, Ricinus communis L., belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family, which includes approximately 300 genera and 7,500 species. This research focuses on investigating the morphological characteristics, chemical properties, and genetic diversity of castor bean plants growing in Saudi Arabia. We used a modified Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) method to extract genomic DNA from the young leaves. To analyze genetic variation, 4 random HAP primers (HAP1, HAP2, HAP3, and HAP4) were used for RAPD-PCR analysis. A total of 32 DNA fragments were generated, of which 4 were polymorphic and 28 were monomorphic. Significant phenotypic differences were recorded between the two plant populations, and this was reflected in the genetic analysis. Chemical analysis showed a protein content of 16% in sample A and 15% in sample B, with total ash contents of 2.7% and 2.3%, respectively. Both samples exhibited similar fat contents of around 47%. The study highlights the need for further research, including DNA sequencing, to gain deeper insights into the genetic and chemical differences between these two castor bean populations.
