Assessment of reproductive characteristics of Jatropha curcas L. in south Florida

Jatropha curcas L. (jatropha) is a species identified for biofuel production because of the high quality of the oil produced by its seeds. However, jatropha is undomesticated and little information is available about its reproductive characteristics. Breeding and genetic improvement programs are muc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Global change biology. Bioenergy 2014-07, Vol.6 (4), p.351-359
Main Authors: Nietsche, Silvia, Vendrame, Wagner A., Crane, Jonathan H., Pereira, Marlon C. T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural production
Apomixis
bioenergy crop
biofuel production
Biofuels
Biomass
Breeding
Climate
Drying oils
flowering
Flowers
Flowers & plants
Fruit set
fruiting
Fruits
Genetic improvement
Germination
Jatropha curcas
Plant reproduction
Pollen
Pollination
Reproduction
Seasons
Seeds
Studies
Summer
Weight
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Summary:Jatropha curcas L. (jatropha) is a species identified for biofuel production because of the high quality of the oil produced by its seeds. However, jatropha is undomesticated and little information is available about its reproductive characteristics. Breeding and genetic improvement programs are much needed for the jatropha development as a bioenergy crop. Information about floral display and mode of reproduction are considered essential for breeding programs. In this study, the total number of female flowers, male to female flower ratio, fruit set, in vitro pollen germination, and the formation of fruits by apomixis, self‐pollination, and natural pollination were evaluated in 17 jatropha accessions planted in South Florida. The total number of female flowers per inflorescence and male to female flower ration ranged from 2.8 to 9.1 and 9.9:1 to 55.4 : 1, respectively. During summer 2011, high fruit setting average was observed (75.5%). In vitro pollen germination varied from 64.6% during spring 2011 to 51.6% during fall 2011. The fruit set observed was from 10.1% to 64.0% through natural pollination and apomixes, respectively. Characteristics such as fruit fresh weight, number of seeds per fruit, seed dry weight, and oil content were influenced by mode of reproduction.
ISSN:1757-1693
1757-1707
DOI:10.1111/gcbb.12051