Creating the Tropical Look

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Wagner Vendrame, Ph.D. Associate
Professor Tropical Research and Education Center
IFAS UF Homestead, FL
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What is Jatropha?

• Family Euphorbiaceae
• Genus Jatropha 170 species
• Jatropha curcas L.
• Physic Nut, Barbados Nut, Purging Nut, Curcas
  Bean
• Small tree or large shrub, 12-15ft tall
• Perennial

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• Diversity in the
• genus
• Jatropha

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B
C
E
D
A
Diversity in the genus Jatropha botanical
illustration of Jatropha curcas (A) J.
grossidentata (B), J. excisa (C), J. clavuligera
(D), and J. weddeliana. Photos and illustration
by B. Dehgan.
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• a. flowering branch
• b. bark
• c. leaf venation
• d. pistillate flower
• e. staminate flower
• f. cross-section of
• immature fruit
• g. fruits
• h. longitudinal
• section of fruits
• i. seed
• (a - c and f- i from
• Aponte 1978 d and
• e from Dehgan 1984)
• (reprinted with
• Permission, Heller 1996)

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a. female flowersb. apical budsc. petals,
sepals, diadelphous stamend. anthers

• e. ovary and nectar glands
• f. electron microscope vision of triple seed
  setting in the fruit
• (Source Prakash et al., 2007)

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Jatropha curcas plantation in Mexico
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Where can it be grown in FL?

• Cultivated in the tropics as living fence
• Zones 9-11
• Full sun
• Drought tolerant
• Marginal soils
• Susceptible to severe frosts

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J. curcas belt
oil palm belt
J. curcas belt
Global indication of the most suitable climates
for J. curcas (30 N 35 S) Claims and Facts
on Jatropha curcas (Jongschaap et al., 2007)
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Bioenergy Potential
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Uses for Jatropha curcas (modified from Heller
1996).
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B
A
A. Bielenberg ram press for oil extraction from
J. curcas seeds B. Soap production from J. curcas
oil C. Perkins engine with generator converted
to run on Jatropha oil
C
Photos courtesy of R. K. Henning
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Jatrophas Potential The Hype

• Non-food alternative energy crop
• Perennial crop
• Marginal soils and waste lands
• Little or no input - low nutrient requirements
• Drought resistance low water use
• High oil yields
• High oil content in seeds
• High quality oil

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Jatrophas Potential The Hope

• Non-food alternative energy crop
• Perennial crop
• Marginal soils and waste lands
• Little or no input - low nutrient requirements
• Drought resistance low water use
• High oil yields
• High oil content in seeds
• High quality oil

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Jatrophas Potential The Hope

• Non-food alternative energy crop
• Perennial crop
• Marginal soils and waste lands
• Little or no input - low nutrient requirements
• Drought resistance low water use
• High oil yields
• High oil content in seeds
• High quality oil

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Jatrophas Potential The Hope

• Non-food alternative energy crop
• Perennial crop
• Marginal soils and waste lands
• Little or no input - low nutrient requirements
• Drought resistance low water use
• High oil yields
• High oil content in seeds
• High quality oil

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Marginal soils and waste lands

• Semi-arid and arid conditions
• Marginal soil reclamation
• Nutrient recycling
• Reduction of erosion and desertification
• Increase soil structure
• Tropical humid areas

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Jatrophas Potential The Hope

• Non-food alternative energy crop
• Perennial crop
• Marginal soils and waste lands
• Little or no input - low nutrient requirements
• Drought resistance low water use
• High oil yields
• High oil content in seeds
• High quality oil

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Low nutrient requirements

• Low soil fertility limits growth and production
• Fertilization improves yield
• Plant height
• Leaf area index
• Total aboveground dry matter
• Seed yield
• Oil yield
• Crop density - competition

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Jatrophas Potential The Hope

• Non-food alternative energy crop
• Perennial crop
• Marginal soils and waste lands
• Little or no input - low nutrient requirements
• Drought resistance low water use
• High oil yields
• High oil content in seeds
• High quality oil

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Low water requirement

• Little known on water use and water use
  efficiency (as a crop)
• Potential Evapotranspiration (PET) vs. Actual
  Evapotranspiration (AET)
• Plant transpiration and soil evaporation
• Soil properties depth, WHC, organic matter
  content
• Root system

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Jatrophas Potential The Hope

• Non-food alternative energy crop
• Perennial crop
• Marginal soils and waste lands
• Little or no input - low nutrient requirements
• Drought resistance low water use
• High oil yields
• High oil content in seeds
• High quality oil

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Dry matterof J. curcas
Claims and Facts on Jatropha curcas (Jongschaap
et al., 2007)
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Energy content in J. curcas
Claims and Facts on Jatropha curcas (Jongschaap
et al., 2007)
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High Oil Yields

• Seed
• Hull (shell) 35 F.W.
• Kernel 65 F.W.
• Kernel (99 of oil)
• 58 oil
• 42 meal (20-25 protein)
• Total oil from seed 37.7

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High Oil Quality

• Good quality for burning, cooking, lighting,
  biodiesel
• gt viscosity than diesel (53 vs. 8 cSt, 30 C)
• Cetane number 23-41
• cottonseed (35-40) rapeseed (30-36) groundnut
  (30-41) sunflower (29-37)
• Toxicity phorbol esters and curcins
• Suitable for transesterification
• No sulphur dioxide (SO2)

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Challenges

• Performance in Florida
• Pests, diseases
• Yields
• Range for commercial growth
• Increased yield practices
• Harvesting
• Economic assessment
• RESEARCH!!!

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Biofuels
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Acknowledgements

• CALS UF
• FDACS
• Vecenergy-BIDA, the Energy Division of the
  Vecellio Group