An overview of Jatropha curcas; its origins and traditional uses, its robustness and its importance to the Indian fuel scenario.

Bio-fuel opponents the world over are quick to call attention to the fact that the energy and water required to generate the feedstock frequently surpasses the energy worth of the fuel produced. However these studies habitually ignore the value of the bio-mass as fodder or fertilizer, after the fuel has been extracted. Another legitimate anxiety is that fuel crop cultivation will begin competing for precious land traditionally devoted to edible agriculture. What if a bio fuel producing plant could grow on marginal land that was unable to support crops? What if this plant required only minimal water and fertilizer inputs?

Jatropha, also known as the Physic Nut, is a plant which may hold such promise. Able to tolerate bone-dry climates, fast growing, useful for an array of products, Jatropha can yield about 1,000 barrels of oil per year per square mile. In such quantities, Jatropha cannot become a replacement for oil, but Jatropha requires negligible inputs, alleviates or even repeals desertification, and has use for a variety of products after the bio fuel is extracted. Furthermore, diesel fuels with bio diesel additives cause far less pollution.

Originating in Brazil and Mexico, Jatropha was spread as a valuable hedge plant to Africa and Asia by Portuguese traders. Jatropha has over 200 names worldwide and has diverse uses. In India it is grown in nearly every state and is primarily used as a security measure for fields as no animal will consume Jatropha due to its high toxicity. This hardy plant can withstand severe heat, and does well in warmer areas. It can even survive light frost but not for prolonged periods. Growing best in sandy well-drained soils, Jatropha handles dryness very well and can live almost entirely off humidity in the air. The plant also stands for long periods without water - up to 2 years – and then grows when rains occur again. Jatropha’s most useful quality is its ability to withstand very poor soils and grow in saline conditions, enabling it’s plantation on what was previously considered “waste land” making it no threat to food production. Farmers growing Jatropha can begin to harvest the oil seeds after three years of planting and the trees can last for 50 years, before needing replenishment.

In recent years, the Indian government has shown a major interest in Jatropha, and alongside other developing countries, a number of international groups are now sharing this interest. There have been substantial political and social pressures to promote the growing of such crops (in particular Jatropha Curcas) in India, as a means of economic empowerment, social upliftment and poverty alleviation within marginalized communities. Unlimited potential exists in India for bringing millions of hectares of wastelands and barren agricultural lands under extensive plantations of Jatropha Curcas, virtually converting such unproductive wastelands in to green oil fields.Bio fuel is not the definitive answer to the energy challenges facing India or the world. Yet it is part of the solution, especially when it not only stretches limited supplies of conventional fuel, but restores the land it grows on, does not displace more viable agricultural land, and requires minimal water inputs. Among all the prospective plant candidates of bio-diesel yielding sources, Jatropha Curcas stands tall as a king among peasants.

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