A field assessment of the agronomic performance and water use of Jatropha curcas in South Africa

Everson, C. S.; Mengistu, M. G.; Gush, Mark B

doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2012.03.013

Cited by 54 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In both areas Jatropha was produced under rainfed conditions with minimal input of agrochemicals. This is consistent with studies in South Africa that demonstrated that Jatropha plantations are unlikely to use more water than natural vegetation (Gush 2008, Everson et al 2013; Table 1). Key informants around Niqel plantation indicated that access to freshwater might have increased.…”

Section: Results: Ecosystem Services Human Well-being and Poverty Asupporting

confidence: 91%

Jatropha cultivation in Malawi and Mozambique: impact on ecosystem services, local human well-being, and poverty alleviation

Maltitz¹,

Gasparatos²,

Fabricius³

et al. 2016

E&S

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ABSTRACT. Jatropha-based biofuels have undergone a rapid boom-and-bust cycle in southern Africa. Despite strong initial support by governments, donors, and the private sector, there is a lack of empirical studies that compare the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of Jatropha's two dominant modes of production: large plantations and smallholder-based projects. We apply a rapid ecosystem services assessment approach to understand the impact of two Jatropha projects that are still operational despite widespread project collapse across southern Africa: a smallholder-based project (BERL, Malawi) and a large plantation (Niqel, Mozambique). Our study focuses on changes in provisioning ecosystem services such as biofuel feedstock, food, and woodland products that can have important effects on human well-being locally. Qualitative information is provided for other regulating and cultural ecosystem services. Although at this stage no impact is tremendously positive or negative, both projects show some signs of viability and local poverty alleviation potential. However, their long-term sustainability is not guaranteed given low yields, uncertain markets, and some prevailing management practices.

show abstract

Section: Results: Ecosystem Services Human Well-being and Poverty Asupporting

confidence: 91%

Jatropha cultivation in Malawi and Mozambique: impact on ecosystem services, local human well-being, and poverty alleviation

Maltitz¹,

Gasparatos²,

Fabricius³

et al. 2016

E&S

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Better seed productivity of JO S2 than the locally available variety is clear and significant. Our best second yield of 1.72 kg per plant (4.25 t ha ) set a record in India, better than all reported for wild Jatropha accessions [6][7][8][9][10]. We attribute this higher productivity mostly to improvement of genetics.…”

Section: Jo S2 Performance In Indiasupporting

confidence: 42%

“…The average seed yield obtained in Senegal was at best 500 kg ha −1 after four years of cultivation using drip irrigation and best available practices [6], much less than 5.25 t ha −1 expected. In South Africa [7], the best yield for four year old mono-cropped Jatropha plants was only 349 kg ha −1 . In another trial conducted in Haryana, India for three years, under irrigation and fertilization, Jatropha seed yield reached 473 kg ha −1 [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A New Jatropha curcas Variety (JO S2) with Improved Seed Productivity

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:One key reason for the failure of Jatropha plantation is the use of non-improved planting materials. We present in this paper a Jatropha variety (JO S2) through selective breeding with much better seed productivity than wild accessions as proven by field trials in Singapore and India. In a single farm trial in Singapore for two years, a comparison was conducted with accessions from China, India, Indonesia and Africa. It was found that all traits studied like seed yield, seed kernel content, seed oil content, fatty acid composition, phosphorus content and PE content differed significantly among and within the wild accessions. Overall, JO S2 was the best performer with the highest seed yield, high oil content and low phosphorus content. On two sites in Tamil Nadu, Southern India, this Jatropha variety produced up to 2.95 ton/ha of dry seeds in the first year and up to 4.25 ton/ha of dry seeds in the second year, much better than the local variety control. We attribute its higher seed productivity to early flowering, better self-branching, more flower/fruiting bunches, more fruits per bunch and importantly, better uniformity among plants. This exemplifies that breeding has improved Jatropha seed productivity which will lead to better economics for Jatropha plantation.

show abstract

“…These results indicate that J. curcas harvest should be done in wet and dry season according to accessions. This would reduce the high labor costs of harvesting J. curcas fruit (Everson et al, 2013). This study also noted that the season has a significant influence on yield parameters.…”

Section: Discussion:-mentioning

confidence: 60%

Flowering and Fruiting Seasonal Changes of Six Accessions of Jatropha Curcas L. In a Semi-Arid Region of Senegal.

Diédhiou¹,

Bayala²,

Sagna³

et al. 2017

IJAR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Jatropha curcas is the priority species for biofuel promotion in Senegal. However the lack of knowledge on floral biology and fruiting of this plant remains a problem to increase its yield and improve farmers' adoption. The objectives of this study were to assess seasonal changes on flowering and fruiting of six accessions of J curcas in semi-arid area in Senegal. In this study the total number of inflorescences, flowers and fruits were evaluated during six months on four years old plants, installed in the Agricultural Engineering School of Thies. The results showed significant effect of factors (season, accession) and interaction between them on floral and fruiting traits of J. curcas. Due to more favorable climatic conditions, the performance of flowering is better in wet season. During this season, the number of male and female flowers ranged, respectively from 107.47-191.60 and from 2.47-11.87 per inflorescence. Consequently, ripe fruits production was higher in wet season and varied between 66 and 97% of the total production. Two peaks of flowering were observed; the first one occurred in dry season and the second, with the highest number of inflorescences, arrived in wet season.

show abstract

A field assessment of the agronomic performance and water use of Jatropha curcas in South Africa

Cited by 54 publications

References 24 publications

Jatropha cultivation in Malawi and Mozambique: impact on ecosystem services, local human well-being, and poverty alleviation

Jatropha cultivation in Malawi and Mozambique: impact on ecosystem services, local human well-being, and poverty alleviation

A New Jatropha curcas Variety (JO S2) with Improved Seed Productivity

Flowering and Fruiting Seasonal Changes of Six Accessions of Jatropha Curcas L. In a Semi-Arid Region of Senegal.

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About