Jatropha Curcas Plant

The Jatropha curcas plant, also referred to colloquially as the Barbados Nut or Purging Nut is a poisonous shrub that is native to the central America and Mexico, though it is now practically pantropical and widely seen across Brazil, India, Salvador, Fiji and Jamaica, among other countries. The seeds of the Jatropha curcas are used to produce biodiesel fuel of a high quality, for which plantation as a crop has increased, though the oil from the seeds has traditionally been used for a number of purposes such as for lighting and making soap and candles. In India, leaves of this plant are pounded to make a paste that is applied near the eyes of horses, to repel insects and flies. Other uses of the various parts of the plant include its use as a pesticide, for soil erosion control, as a fish poison, and for making stains for the purpose of marking linen. The seeds are sometimes roasted and eaten as natural laxatives.

How to Grow Jatropha Curcas

It grows in semi arid and arid regions and adapts well in types of soil that are typically not conducive for cultivation, such as sandy or gravelly soil, or soil that is high in saline content. This plant does not require much rainfall, and survives on levels as low as 250 mm a year, though 600 mm is considered optimum rainfall and beneficial for growth. It can also survive long periods of drought. The Jatropha curcas plant grows readily from cuttings as well as seeds, and flourishes in temperatures ranging from 20 to 28 degrees Celsius. Its hardy nature allows its survival even through slight frost, though this has a direct negative impact on crop levels.

Typically, Jatropha curcas takes four to five years to achieve maturity, and propagation is mainly achieved through seed plantation. The full-grown plant's leaves are light green in color and fairly large in size. Flowers grow terminally or at the end of a stem, and are whitish in color. Fruits develop in winter, when the plant sheds its leaves which collect at the base of the plant and form mulch - however a well watered plant can produce several crops in a given year when temperatures are at optimum levels. When the capsule of the fruit changes color from green to yellow, the seeds are considered mature; when shelled, the capsules yield blackish oblong seeds, from which oil is extracted. The seeds are high in unsaturated fatty acids, up to 79% of the oil extracted . The oil content is not limited to the seeds - the kernels are also high in oil content, however the oil contains a compound called Cursin, which is poisonous, rendering it unsuitable for human consumption. There are a number of varieties of the Jatropha curcas plant, some of which are as follows:

• Jatropha curcas
• Pongamia pinnata
• Castor (Erand)

The uses of this hardy plant in present day conditions are many. Apart from its very promising capabilities to perform the function of a biofuel, it is also widely planted for carbon sequestering. A tree that has achieved maturity can absorb close to 8 kg of carbon dioxide in a year - this translates into close to 3 tons of carbon dioxide per acre, per year - a property which makes its planting an effective measure for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The scope of Jatropha curcas plant uses is tremendous - as the world slowly wakes up to the possibilities of this hardy plant and the sources of alternative fuel it offers, the land under cultivation has increased, though awareness is still in the nascent stage. The day when you fill up on Jatropha curcas fuel from your local gas station, may not be too far!