Trends and gaps in the global scientific literature about Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae), a tropical plant of economic importance

Abstract

Trends and gaps in the global scientific literature about Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae), a tropical plant of economic importanceTendências e lacunas na literatura científica global sobre Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae), uma planta tropical de importância econômica Abstract Jatropha curcas L., popularly known as the physic nut, is a monoecious, perennial lactiferous species belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. Recently, interest in this species has been growing, due to its ability to flourish on degraded land and in soils with low natural fertility, the high oil content of its seeds, its rapid growth and easy propagation, and the identification of several secondary metabolites with medicinal importance. This study aims to report the main trends and gaps in the global scientific literature about J. curcas L, using a scientometric analysis. We have carried out this scientometric analysis on the global literature to identify: 1) temporal publication trends; 2) the quality of scientific production, estimated using citation numbers and journal impact factors; 3) the main journals and countries interested in this topic and the language of scientific divulgation; 4) the main research fields; 5) the use of wild or commercial cultivars; and 6) average authorship levels and international collaboration networks.Our findings have revealed a continuous increase in both quantitative and qualitative parameters in studies about J. curcas. The main trends in physic nut studies involve biofuel production and the plant's agronomic characteristics. The main knowledge gaps relating to J. curcas are in the fields of forestry, sustainability, animal nutrition, and genetic improvement. Another problem identified in this study is a lack of commercial seeds; none of the studies analyzed have used commercial seeds. India, Brazil, and China together are responsible for 55% of the knowledge about this species, obtained through scientific production. Only moderate international collaboration has been observed between countries, perhaps as consequence of conflicts of interest. Despite an increasing number of articles, some countries have stopped producing J. curcas L, and the worldwide crop production has decreased.

Trends in the scientific literature on Stryphnodendron adstringens (Leguminosae): an important Brazilian medicinal tree

“…Also, it should be noted that 77,46% of publications have occurred in the last ten years (Figure 1). Pereira et al (2018) found a similar result in a scientometric study of the species Jatropha curcas L., where the authors observed a significant increase in the scientific production related to this species, mainly from the year 2007. The increase in the number of publications over the years shows that the scientific community has a greater interest in the Cerrado biome's resources, including knowing the species biology and pharmaceutical characteristics.…”

“…The scientometrics research consists in the study of the quantitative and qualitative aspects of science and aims to investigate trends and biases in scientific literature.Scienciometry has been used to evaluate scientific knowledge in a country (Lancho-Barrantes & Cantú-Ortiz, 2019, Sooryamoorthy, 2019) , and the impact of scientific research on the economy (Laverde-Rojas & Correa, 2019). To explore trends in a particular research field , Carvalho et al, 2019, Olmeda-Gómez et al, 2019, and in some specific cases to evaluate the scientific production for certain genera (Nabout et al, 2010, Chong-Carrillo et al, 2018 or species (Gomez-Verjan et al, 2015, Gupta et al, 2018, Pereira et al, 2018.…”

The Mitigating Effect of Jatropha curcas L. Latex against Genotoxicity Induced by Doxorubicin

“…Many authors consider J. curcas to be one of the most promising oilseeds for biofuel production [1]. Interest in this species has been increasing, due to J. curcas rapid growth and easy propagation, contributing to its use as an alternative energy source, and the identification of several secondary metabolites in this plant with medicinal importance [1,2]. Crude extracts, essential oils and isolated compounds from J. curcas are used in a wide range of pharmacological activities, such as antiinflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, molluscicide, larvicidal, anticancer, antidiabetic, procoagulant, anticoagulant, hepatoprotective, analgesic, healing and abortifacient [3][4][5][6].…”

Trends and biases in scientific literature about marmosets, genus Callithrix (Primates, Callitrichidae): biodiversity and conservation perspectives

“…The temporal trends of the number of articles published have been reported for different groups, i.e. Euphorbiaceae (Pereira et al 2018) and zooplankton community (Souza et al 2018); even from a biome perspective (Borges et al 2015). Even though more articles have been published each year, there is not an even distribution throughout the distribution of the genus, but rather a notable concentration along the Atlantic Forest.…”