Jitendra Chikara

Prospects for jatropha methyl ester (biodiesel) in India

Jatropha Methyl Ester (JME) is a potential biodiesel in India. Although high quality EN 14214 grade biodiesel production from Jatropha curcas has been demonstrated by us for the first time, leading to a surge of interest worldwide, large‐scale cultivation of the plant with high seed productivity is critical to overall success. The core processes are carried out under ambient conditions and effluent discharge is eliminated through integration with by‐product recovery. A target of 2 tonnes (tonne = metric ton = 1000 kg) per hectare of jatropha seeds is realistic with proper agronomic practices in cultivable wastelands. Even so, only a small fraction of total diesel requirement can be met through biodiesel. Besides biodiesel, jatropha cultivation can make a considerable impact in promoting organic farming through use of the oil cake. The shell, having a calorific value equivalent to coal, can be made into briquettes and used in solid fuel fired boilers and other applications as a substitute for fossil fuel. Other by‐products too find useful applications. The overall environmental impact of large‐scale jatropha cultivation is so far not studied. Although the desertification process would be arrested, greenhouse emissions would be reduced and the atmosphere enriched in oxygen, there is a potential threat to biodiversity. This may be mitigated if such activities are confined to wasteland. Long term impact of toxicity of the plant and toxicity, if any, of products/byproducts also need to be carefully assessed.

Contribution of Jatropha curcas to soil quality improvement in a degraded Indian entisol

Abstract Soil quality improvement is critical to any rehabilitation programme in dry land degraded ecosystems. This study reports on the impact of cultivation of Jatropha curcas with or without soil amendments on the structural stability, and carbon and nitrogen content of a degraded Entisol under rehabilitation in western India. Cultivation of Jatropha curcas resulted in 11% average increase in mean weight diameter of the soil and 2% increase in soil macro-aggregate turnover. Cultivation of Jatropha curcas with nitrogen and phosphorus- or without any-amendment improved macro-aggregate stability relative to nearby native vegetation. Regression analysis showed a significant correlation between organic carbon and mean weight diameter. The cultivation of Jatropha curcas appeared to have also contributed to the quality of these soils as it maintained organic carbon and nitrogen stock and displayed a potential to increase carbon sequestration rate. Soil structure recovery under cultivation of Jatropha curcas implies a sustainable improvement in the surface integrity of these soils, which will ensure more water infiltration rather than runoff and erosion.

Paclobutrazol Arrests Vegetative Growth and Unveils Unexpressed Yield Potential of Jatropha curcas

Although the process for making EN 14214 grade Jatropha methyl ester (biodiesel) capable of running unmodified diesel engines in neat form has been demonstrated, getting higher seed yield from Jatropha shrubs in wastelands is critical to the success of Jatropha biodiesel. But, low productivity is inherent to many Jatropha curcas germplasms and raising large-scale plantations using such untested planting material can lead to wasteful expenditures. Unreliable and poor flowering and fruiting are important factors responsible for low productivity in the species. Although much is known about growth retardants applied to field and horticultural crops, their role in improving the seed productivity of Jatropha has never been explored. Here we report for the first time that paclobutrazol could be an extremely useful chemical, whose dose and time of application, if optimized, can significantly reduce unwanted vegetative growth, with concomitant improvement in yield and seed oil content of Jatropha. In the year following application of paclobutrazol, an unexpected increase in seed yield, as high as 1127% relative to controls, was obtained from one such unproductive Jatropha germplasm. We hypothesize that low seed production in this species may be a result of excess vegetative growth caused by an unfavorable endogenous hormonal configuration which competes with growth and development of flower, fruit, or seed. This undesired physiological state can be reversed by paclobutrazol application to achieve maximum oil yield from this energy shrub that holds great promise in the future.

Assessment of Genetic Stability and Instability of Tissue Culture-Propagated Plantlets of Aloe vera L. by RAPD and ISSR Markers

Efficient plantlet regeneration with and without intermediate callus phase was achieved for a selected genotype of Aloe vera L. which is sweet in test and used as a vegetable and source of food. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) marker assays were employed to evaluate genetic stability of plantlets and validate the most reliable method for true-to-type propagation of sweet aloe, among two regeneration systems developed so far. Despite phenotypic similarities in plantlets produced through both regeneration systems, the differences in genomic constituents of plantlets produced through intermediate callus phase using soft base of inflorescence have been effectively distinguished by RAPD and ISSR markers. No polymorphism was observed in regenerants produced following direct regeneration of axillary buds, whereas 80% and 73.3% of polymorphism were observed in RAPD and ISSR, respectively, in the regenerants produced indirectly from base of the inflorescence axis via an intermediate callus phase. Overall, 86.6% of variations were observed in the plantlets produced via an intermediate callus phase. The occurrence of genetic polymorphism is associated with choice of explants and method used for plantlet regeneration. This confirms that clonal propagation of sweet aloe using axillary shoot buds can be used for commercial exploitation of the selected genotype where a high degree of fidelity is an essential prerequisite. On the other hand, a high degree of variations were observed in plantlets obtained through indirect regeneration and thus cannot be used for the mass multiplication of the genotype; however, it can be used for crop improvement through induction of somaclonal variations and genetic manipulations.

SEAWEED SAP AS AN ALTERNATIVE LIQUID FERTILIZER FOR YIELD AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OF WHEAT

The experiment was conducted on a farmers field near Bhavnagar (Gujarat, India) during the Rabi season of 2008–2009 to study the effect of foliar applications of Kappaphycus alvarezii and Gracilaria edulis sap on growth and yield response of wheat var. ‘GW 496’. Three foliar sprays of both saps were applied at the rate of 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0% (v/v) along with water as a control at different stages of the crop. It was found that yield of grain was increased significantly by 19.74% and 13.16% for plants receiving 7.5% and 5.0% concentrations of K. alvarezii and G. edulis sap, respectively, over control. The increase in yield was attributed to increases in the number of spike, spike weight, spike length and 100 seed weight. Foliar applications of K. alvarezii sap at 7.5% increased nutrient contents in grains from 7.91% (K) – 31.82% (S) whereas G. edulis sap increased nutrient content 5.72% (N) – 37.54% (Mg).

Soil characteristics and mineral nutrient in wild jatropha population of India

Abstract Mature leaves of naturally occurring Jatropha curcas plants and soils samples were collected from four different populations to determine the soil characteristics, soil‐available nutrients, and leaf nutrient contents. This study provides a reliable account of the endogenic concentrations of nutrients present in jatropha leaves. Soil manganese [diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)‐Mn] was the only soil‐available nutrient significantly correlated with its content in the plant. Relationships between soil characteristics, available nutrient in soil, and their content in plant leaves were also attempted.

Biotechnology Advances in Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis)

Wax esters have important applications in medicine, and in the cosmetics and food industries, besides their more traditional usage as lubricants. The value of the wax from sperm whales was one of the factors responsible for this animals being hunted to near extinction, which prompted the eventual ban on harvesting and the search for alternative sources. Recognition of jojoba oil as an alternative to sperm whale oil has led to a surge of interest in jojoba across the globe. The hardiness of this plant, which is amenable to cultivation even on water-deficient wastelands, has led to it being cultivated as a crop in several semi-arid and arid regions of the world. In addition, oil from the seed de-oiled cake is rich in protein and can be used as livestock feed and as a source of commercial enzymes. The plant is dioecious, and exhibits tremendous variability in male:female ratio in a given population, with male plants generally outnumbering female plants, leading to low yields as expected due to heterogeneity in the population. High yielding genotypes have been selected from experimental plantations, and vegetative propagation methods have been developed to provide genetically uniform, known sex plants to boost yields. Due to limited production, jojoba waxes are not available for a number of applications in spite of high demand. The advent of genetic engineering has provided novel opportunities to tailor the composition of plant lipids and also engineer agronomically suitable oilseed crops to produce high levels of wax esters in the seed oil. This chapter discusses efforts made towards the domestication, genetic improvements for yield and oil content, detoxification of cake for use as a live stock feed, and aspects of micropropagation of this species.

The impact of heat and water stress conditions on the growth of the biofuel plant Jatropha curcas

Pot experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of drought and salinity stresses and mulch amendment on Jatropha in sand dune soil under three conditions: glasshouse, shade house and open area. Plants were irrigated with freshwater and diluted seawater adjusted to two levels of electrical conductivity- 3 and 6 dS m-1. The results showed that experimental conditions remarkably affected the evapo-transpiration rate, soil moisture, salts accumulation and plant biomass production. Low temperature (23°C) conditions exhibited highest plant growth and soil moisture and lowest salts deposition. Plants showed no symptoms of heat stress in the glasshouse. The shade house and the open area profoundly reduced plant biomass and water content in the soil. Compared to the control, the mulch amended treatments had sufficient water for plant growth even in the high temperature of the open area. High salt content was found in salinity treated pots but the salinity level did not reduce Jatropha growth. Salt accumulated in the salinity treated pots helped retain more water, reduced the temperature and provided nutrients to the plants, with results which were almost similar to those from the mulch effect. The temperature conditions of the shade house and the open area (max>40°C) caused substantial water loss and induced death of plants. Jatropha is a succulent and drought tolerant plant and a close irrigation interval is not the best option for Jatropha growth. But, organic amendment is needed when there is a big loss of soil water due to heat stress condition.

Carbon and nitrogen mineralization potential of biofuel crop (Jatropha curcas L.) residues in soil

Use and management ofjatropha residue is currently an important global issue for attaining sustainability in biofuel production from Jatropha curcas on wastelands. Perhaps, knowledge about the decomposition characteristics and nutrient release pattern from jatropha residues amended soils are lacking. Thus, the objective of present research was to characterize the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralization of jatropha residues during decomposition in soil. The chemical composition of the residues, in terms of C, N, cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin and phenolics contents were determined. Laboratory incubation studies were carried out with two soils (inside and outside-canopy soil ofjatropha shrub) and four jatropha residues (1% w/w) amendments (cake, leaf, fruit shell or control soil only). The cumulative CO2 evolution of the added residues was in the magnitude of fruit shell>leaf>cake>control soil. Net C mineralized in soils were in the range of 46-50, 66-67 and 75-77% of C added by cake, leaf and fruit shell, respectively at the end of incubation study. Soils amended with leaf immobilized N during the first 64 days but subsequently released inorganic N. The addition of cake and fruit shell resulted in net N mineralization and net N immobilization, respectively throughout the incubation period. Cumulative N released by the end of incubation was in the order of cake>leaf>control>fruit shell. Net N mineralization in soils during the study was 75-92 and 21-27% of N added by cake and leaf, respectively whereas there was net N immobilization in fruit shell amended soil. Cumulative CO2 evolution as well as N mineralization during incubation were higher in inside-canopy soil compared with that of outside-canopy soil. Jatropha cake and leaf proved to be a potential source of mineral N, however leaf will take about 60-70 days as gestation period to mineralize the nitrogen. Similarly, leaf and fruit shell also exhibited a good potential of C mineralization.

Genetic Improvement in Jatropha curcas Through Selection and Breeding

Jatropha curcas L. has been labeled globally as the most likely crop for future biofuels. However, it suffers from low seed yield and high plant growth. Therefore, systematic selection from the existing germplasm, their breeding for improved characteristics and later domestication are the prerequisites to achieve genetic improvement in this species. To initiate breeding programme in any species, it is essential to assess the extent of the existing variability before embarking upon selection of superior germplasm. Further knowledge is needed on the reproductive biology of Jatropha, including its phenology, and molecular diversity in order to improve its productivity, the ultimate objective being to mass multiply improved true-to-type germplasm. In this review, we made an attempt to discuss the currently available information on Jatropha particularly the genetic variability in the species and possibilities for exploitation of the genetic potential for its improvement.