CHARACTERIZATION AND UTILIZATION OF INDIAN JATROPHAS

Abstract

Several species of the genus Jatropha found in India were collected and
evaluated. Apart from their use as ornamental and energy crops, the genus
Jatropha represents a potentially valuable source of germplasm for castor breeding
as they possess very rare and beneficial characteristics, such as drought resistance,
photoperiod insentivity, resistance to wilt and tolerance to lepidopteran insect
pests besides, desirable oil quality. Tissue culture protocols developed for Jatropha
offer scope not only for widening the genetic base of castor through somatic
hybridization and genetic transformation but also in the improvement of Jatropha
per se by both conventional and in vitro techniques as the available variability
in the latter is quite narrow