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Jatropha curcas: a potential biodiesel crop and its current R&D status

Indian Agricultural Research Journals

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Title Jatropha curcas: a potential biodiesel crop and its current R&D status
 
Creator DHYANI, S K
KUMAR, R V
AHLAWAT, S P
 
Subject Herbicides; Potato mini plants; Weed control efficiency; Tuber yield
 
Description The need of alternatives of fossil fuel is pressing hard for several reasons, especially to the countries like India with vibrant economy which consumes large amount of fossil fuels and rely heavily on import for the same. Among several oil-yielding crops and tree-borne oilseeds, Jatropha has been identified as most potential plant for biodiesel due to its advantages over other plant species. Concerted R&D works on bio-fuel species like Jatropha started in 2003 after the committee constituted for bio-fuel development in India presented its report to Planning Commission and then several organizations like ICAR, NOVOD Board, DBT, DST, DRDO, and CSIR started funding on R&D of TBOs to several research institutions including SAUs. Immediately, first national programme on Jatropha cultivation was initiated in 2004, with a target of 4 lakh ha plantation, which could not be achieved in absence of suitable varieties and improved planting materials. At present the R&D efforts were focused on collection, evaluation and conservation of its germplasm, understanding its breeding behaviour, standardization of nursery and propagation techniques, development of cultivation packages for different soil and climatic conditions, machines for bio-diesel production etc. A large number of accessions from almost all the areas of its distribution in the country have been collected by research institutions. Good amount of variability has been recorded in morphological traits, seed yield and oil content. Genotypes having high seed yield and oil content have been selected from germplasm evaluation trials but their consistency over the years and environments yet to be confirmed. Seed yield has been improved to a limited extent through intraspecific hybridization but breakthrough will only be possible by the development of inbred lines and intensive breeding programmes, which will take long time. The agro-techniques for raising plantation has been standardized up to limited extent as fertilizer and irrigation requirements are yet to be worked out for different types of soil and climatic conditions. Though, propagation techniques through seed, cuttings and tissue culture are well developed. Chemical composition of oil, cake and biodiesel, its suitability for engines have already been assessed but there is need of intensive work on value-addition like detoxification of cake to make it suitable for cattle feed. As Jatropha cultivation is projected for the wastelands, the development of varieties for moisture stress, degraded and marginal lands are urgently required. In nutshell, Jatropha research is still at the beginning with respect to genetic improvement for increasing seed and oil yield. High variability provides good opportunity for selection of desired types and success in breeding programme. The article summarizes the need of the hour, current status of R&D efforts and future strategies to be made.
 
Publisher The Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences
 
Contributor —
 
Date 2011-04-04
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
—
 
Format application/pdf
 
Identifier http://epubs.icar.org.in/ejournal/index.php/IJAgS/article/view/5363
 
Source The Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences; Vol 81, No 4 (2011)
0019-5022
 
Language eng
 
Relation http://epubs.icar.org.in/ejournal/index.php/IJAgS/article/view/5363/2225
 
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