Studies on genetic diversity and micropropagation of elite clones of Jatropha curcas L

Abstract

Massive anthropological activities such as rapid urbanization, industrialization, huge transportation lead to depletion of conventional and non-renewable fossil fuels on our planet and also significantly compromise the environmental health through the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG). This explains why eco-friendly biofuels namely bio-diesel and bio-ethanol have become focus areas of active research during the last few decades. Some of the important perennial non-edible tree borne oilseeds (TBOs) in the Indian subcontinent include Neem (A. indica A. Juss), Karanj (P. pinnata L. Pierre), Mahua (M. indica J.F. Gmel), Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.) which produce seed oils suitable for biodiesel production. Jatropha curcas L. or physic nut, a member of the Euphorbiaceae family, is a multipurpose deciduous small tree or shrub is now distributed in many tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia. J. curcas draws the attention of many researchers for their rapid growth, easy propagation, drought tolerance, pest resistance, and, most importantly, high seed yield and oil content, which are prerequisites for the quality biodiesel production. A thorough survey led to select a total of 31 morphologically superior candidate plus trees (CPTs) of J. curcas from different locations of Punjab, a North-Western state of India. The seed samples showed considerable variation with regard to shape, size and color of the seed coats. 100-seed weight ranged from 35.10and#61485;77.34 g. Seed oil content was found to vary from 13.74% to 54.37%. Most of the accessions showed 30and#61485;40% oil content, and a few accessions showed more than 40% oil content. J. curcas accessions having more than 30% seed oil content and seed yield approximately 1-2 kg/tree could be referred to as elite accessions consistent with operational guidelines of DBT, Govt. of India. Both genotypic and phenotypic variances were highest and comparable for 100-seed weight followed by seed oil content. Genotypic coefficient of variation and phenotypic coefficient of variation al