Oil-rich type of jatropha identified

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) today said it had identified the country's first improved and oil-rich variety of jatropha for commercial cultivation.

Oil from the jatropha plant, locally known as Ratanjot, can be used as a substitute for diesel or converted into bio-petrol.

Named SDAUJ I (Chatrapati), the new variety is fit for commercial cultivation in the arid belt of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Its seeds contain as much as 49.2 per cent oil, while the seed cake left after oil extraction contains 47.8 per cent non-edible protein.

The productivity of this variety has been is higher than that of other jatropha varieties being grown on a large scale in upcoming bio-fuel plantations.

The average seed-yield of this variety is estimated to be 1,000-1,100 kg per hectare without any irrigation. The plant grows up to about 8 feet and is immune to attack by all major pests.