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| Jatropha Knowledgebase |
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Introduction |
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Jatropha belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae. The word jatropha
is derived from two Greek words ‘Jatros’ means doctor
and ‘trophe’, which means nutrition. It grows wild
in tropical and sub-tropical climatic regions and can be successfully
grown in problematic soils and arid regions. Jatropha curcas
is a drought-resistant perennial shrub or a small tree. A good
crop can be obtained with little effort. The tree has a productive
life of more than 50 years.
Medically it is used for treatment of a number of diseases like
cancer, piles, snakebite, paralysis, dropsy etc. The plant finds
a mention in Ayurveda.
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Botanical features |
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It is a small tree or shrub with smooth grayish-green bark,
which exudes a whitish colored watery latex when cut. Normally,
it grows between three and five meters in height, but can attain
a height of up to eight or ten meters under favourable conditions.
It has large green to pale-green leaves, alternate to sub-opposite,
three-to five-lobed with a spiral phyllotaxis. These are used
against scabies, paralysis, rheumatism and tumours. The leaf
juice is used externally for piles and for applying to control
inflammation of the tongue in babies.
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Uses of Jatropha |
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• It can also be planted in arid areas
for control of soil erosion along with other species such as Acacia,
Prosopis, etc. It can be grown as a green manure crop and the
biomass can be used for compost making.
• Preparations of all parts of the plants, including seeds,
leaves and bark, fresh or as a decoction are used in traditional
medicine and for veterinary purposes.
• The oil has a strong purgative action and is also widely
used for skin diseases and to soothe pain such as that caused
by rheumatism. A decoction of leaves is used against cough and
as antiseptic after birth.
• Branches are used as a chewing stick. The sap flowing
from the stem is used to arrest bleeding of wounds.
• Latex is supposed to have antimicrobial properties.
• Extracts from crushed whole seeds show molluscicidal activity
against several schistosome vector snails. However, it should
be pointed out that the Jatropha Curcas is a host for cassava
viruses that can be transmitted.
• Extracts of seeds can be used to control various pests
such as Helicoverpa armigera (cotton), Aphis gossypii (cotton),
Pectinophora gossypiella (cotton), Empoasca biguttula (cotton),
Phthorimaea opercullera (potato), Callosobruchus maculates (pulse),
Callosobruchus chinensis (mungbean), Sitophilus zeamays (corn),
Manduca Sexta and Sesamia calamistis (sorghum).
• Another argument for the cultivation of oil crops for
energy purposes is the increasing warming / greenhouse effect.
When these fuels are burned, the atmosphere is not polluted by
carbon dioxide, since this has already been assimilated during
the growth of these crops.
• The oil cake can also be used as feedstock for biogas
production and the slurry dried and used as manure, while the
gas can be used for micro level power generation.
• Fruit hulls and seed shells can be used as a burning material.
If large quantities are available, they can be used as source
of energy for production of micro power generation.
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Advantages of Jatropha species over the other oilseeds crops |
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• It is a non-edible oil, now put to low value uses
• Has wide adaptability to various agro climatic conditions
and hence can be grown in the vast stretches of under productive
wastelands and marginal crop lands
• Can give high yields of 4-5 t/ha/year and has long economic
life up to 40 years
• Hardy and drought tolerant
• Amenable for easy multiplication. It can be propagated
with seeds, vegetative cuttings, direct seeding, poly-bag plants
and tissue culture
• Need simple agronomic practices for cultivation, harvesting,
threshing etc.
• Non browsed by cattle
• Early fruiting and long life
• Has multiple uses
• Technology for oil extraction is simple
A detailed note on its cultivation is given in a separate chapter
in the report. The oil that is obtained from Jatropha is considered
highly suited for the production of biodiesel.
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