Comparative Evaluation of the Early Seedling Growth and Development of Jatropha curcas Landtypes of South West Nigeria

Abstract

Since the discovery of Jatropha curcas as an oil crop of great potential in bio-fuel production, investors have been showing interest in its production. Being a non-agricultural crop, very little information is available on its agronomy as well as the oil content of available landrace types in Nigeria. Studies were conducted to evaluate the early growth of some Jatropha landraces with a view to establishing its plantation. Samples of seeds of these landraces were analysed for physical characteristics as well as the oil and chemical composition. Results showed that the seeds germinated readily in 5-7 days and the seedlings showed variability in performance. The chemical properties varied among the different provenances with samples from Kano (Ex-Data) showing highest oxidative stability (16.5 hr) while Asa (lwo) had the lowest (15.2 hr). Ex-Data also had the highest calorific value of 9549 kcal/kg and highest % carbon residue which is an indication of the production of more energy during combustion but leaving more carbon residue than the others. In terms of oil content, a mean value of 76.28 mg/100 g seed has been established for re-validation in a follow up study. Similarly, field establishment has begun and the monitoring for overall yield performance is on-going.