Jatropha is a high quality bio fuel crop that is capable of providing large amount of oil per unit planting space. This crop can be grown in an extremely easy manner and requires very less amount of maintenance. Jatropha is a perennial crop that can be grown in any climatic conditions. This plant mostly favors arid conditions and grows in a fabulous manner. Research has been conducted to study areas that are capable of offering good growth to this plant. Based on the results that are obtained from this study, lands are classifies as green, yellow, orange and red. Lands which have been marked as green are well adaptable to the growth of jatropha plants. Lands marked as red are not suitable for growing jatropha.
Jatropha research
Jatropha Picture
The results of this study have established regions of India and South East Asia as best suitable for raising these crops. This plant should be planted with a distance of 2 meters and about 2500 plants can be grown in a hectare of land. It is possible to extract about 2000 barrels of oil from a square mile area of land. Since, this plants is capable of growing with very less amount of water, there is no need for irrigational facilities. This plant can also grow with treated waste water.
Suitable conditions
Jatropha Picture 2
Jatropha can be grown through mixed cropping or monoculture methods. This plant favors low or medium level of rainfall. Another essential requirement of this plant is presence of good drainage system. Excess water should be channeled out properly to acquire good benefits. Protection from frost for this plant should be undertaken in an effective manner since this plant can be damaged due to the presence of frost. Lower attitudes and higher temperature are best suitable for growth of this plant. Temperature above 20 degree Celsius can provide better growth and attitude of 0 to 500 m is favorable.
The plant will start flowering from 4 months onwards and will later be converted into fruits (oil seeds). The minimum target output of jatropha cultivation should be around 8 to 10 tones per hectare land. This can further be increased to 12 to 15 tones per hectare by utilizing cloning techniques. The crop that is providing highest yield should be identified and cloned to provide equivalent outputs. Surely, it will be a wonderful venture to start growing jatropha crops that will provide high income in the future.
