Oil percentage in Jatropha curcas L. germplasm of National Agroforestry Repository

Abstract

The non-edible oil of Jatropha curcas has requisite potential of providing a promising and commercially viable alternative to diesel. The Jatropha curcas are available in almost all the states but in scattered manner that too in traditional plantations with low productivity and oil content in the seed. There is a lot of variability for growth and seed characteristics in this species [1, 2]. Hence, an exploration was made to collect the superior trees having good growth and seed yield from different parts of the country. All these superior accessions were analyzed for oil content also. This work may provide useful information on oil percentage of Jatropha curcas germplasm of National Agroforestry Repository, Jhansi, which will ultimately help to provide quality-planting material for farmers as well as other growers at national level.