Critical Analysis of World Status of Research on the Development of High Yielding Strains of Jatropha Curcas L

Abstract

It is almost 45 years since the mission Jatropha started for the development of high-yielding strain for commercial exploitation as a source of biofuel plant. A massive amount of literature has been accumulated on almost all aspects of Jatropha. It is now very important to evaluate the results related to the selection/development of novel strains. No preferable strains have been developed either through intra-and inter-specific hybridization or induced mutagenesis. Literature survey indicates that the quantum of work towards the development of new variety under the Jatropha mission is very negligible in comparison to other works. Maximum activities are not in synchronization with the exact mission of the project. It is now very important to choose the correct path to escalate Jatropha to industrial status within a reasonable time. Breeders may intelligently think about the selection of the best available strain, periodical pruning, and induced mutagenesis for commercial exploitation before doing further experiments with Jatropha. It is now high time to prepare need-based planning considering ongoing and on-coming research areas.