R&d Jatropha Curcas

Jatropha R& D project

R& D goals and stakeholders


To set up a m ycorrhizalgerm plasm reservoir of genetic diversity of m ycorrhizalfungiof jatropha-curcas w ith high oilyielding for biodiesel production and the elim ination of the toxicity of the m eal]w aste for anim alfeed


Executing organization : BIOVALE ENERGIA –an em erging biodieselcom pany based in the M inas Geraisin partnership w ith various stakeholders in the oilproduction chain


Co-executing organizations: FederalUniversity of Viçosa –DM B/BIOAGRO, ranked as the best university of M inas Gerais State and 3rd in Brazil SECTES –M inas Gerais State Science and Technology Secretariat EPAM IG –EM PRESA DE PESQUISA DE AGROPECUÁRIA DE M INAS, national bench-m ark in jatropha developm ent CENTRO TECNOLÓGICO DE M INAS GERAIS -CETEC

New Technologies, New Gains

Biofuelproduction has becom e substantially m ore efficient over the last 25 years as Braziland the United States have scaled up their industries. Such increm ental gains are likely to continue for years to com e. How ever, the greatest potentialfor biofuels lies in the developm ent of new technologies that w illsignificantly expand the range of biom ass feedstock, increase conversion efficiencies, and low er production costs.

Expected results Docum entation, preservation and characterization of J. curcas and m ycorrhizalfungigerm plasm Developm ent of m icropropagated plants inoculated of ROC (Root Organ Culture) of arbuscularm ycorrhizal(AM ) fungiand their in vitro m ass inoculum production Selection of jatropha genotypes w ith high oilyielding, envisaging the biodieselproduction Toxicity elim ination of the w aste for anim alfeed Utilization and reclam ation of industry created w astelands The m ycorrhizaltechnology offers biologicalm eans of assuring plant health in an econom ically profitable and ecologically friendly m anner. The only know n fungalsystem categorized as a biofertilizer, m ycorrhizae provide plant roots w ith extended arm s that help them tap soilnutrients that are otherw ise beyond their reach. This m eans greater availability of other, enriching soil, increasing health, and decreasing dependence on chem icalfertilizers.

Documentation, preservation and characterization of J. curcas and mycorrhizal fungi germplasm

It exists a w ide diversity w ithin the AM fungiw hich form association w ith the roots of alm ost 80% plant species and enhance m ineral nutrient acquisition and w ater uptake, as w ellas increase tolerance tow ards different environm entalstresses conditions. To conserve and exploit their diversity, BioVale Project contem plates to build J. curcas and m ycorrhizalfungiculture depository houses and m aintain cultures from different agro-ecologicalzones, in different areas of Brazil. The expected result is to trap isolate a variety of J. curcas and polysporal/m onosporalcultures, setting up a J. curcas and m ycorrhizalfungigerm plasm collection of genetic diversity of agriculturally and industrially species for oilproduction .

Developm ent of RO C of different AM fungiand their m ass inoculum production under in vitro

The ROC (root organ culture) system is the m ost attractive and advanced cultivation m ethodology for AM (arbuscularm ycorrhizal) fungi: it uses rootinducing transfer-DNA-transform ed roots of a host plant to develop the sym biosis on a specific m edium in vitro w hich provides pure, viable, contam inationfree inoculum using reduced space. BioVale R& D Project aim s at gaining expertise in ROC for in vitro culture and utilize m ass production of AM fungiunder in vitro.

M ass inoculum technology

Although the facts and figures of potentialrole of m ycorrhizal association in enhanced nutritionaland w ater needs of plants in laboratories, the m ajor bottleneck for its w idespread application to reach the end-users is its bulk production to cater the huge requirem ent. A know n fact that culturing m ycorrhizalfungiin laboratory conditions like other m icrobes w as not possible due to its strict biotrophic nature of proliferation in the presence of suitable host has been the m ajor reservation of its future contribution in agriculture. The m ass inoculum technology envisages to exploit the genetically m odified host roots using the Agrobacterium um rhizogenes carrying RiT-DNA plasm id. The technology offers the m ass production of viable, healthy, genetically pure and high quality fungalpropagules, w ithout any pathogenic contam ination under in vitro environm ent.

M ore and earlierproductivity

Jatropha has been identified as one the best plant alternative to offer clean fuelfor achieving energy security. Jatropha seeds inoculated w ith in vitroraised m ycorrhiza exhibits early fruition and flow ers from the 7th m onth onw ards as against a year w ith conventionalclonalplantations and tw o years from seed raised plantations. The m ycorrhized Jatropha also exhibited 20%–30% higher yields as com pared to non-m ycorrhizal plantations. The m ycorrhized Jatropha w illbe w idely tested covering severalagro-clim atic regions in Brazilto prove their adaptation in diverse soils.

Environmental amelioration using mycorrhizal technology

M ycorrhized Jatropha has been w orking on the reclam ation of environm entally vulnerable and uncultivable lands using m ycorrhizaltechnology for m ore than a decade in India. The technology has proven its w orth and potentialin m any sites, including fly ash overburdens, and land contam inated w ith distillery effluents, tannery effluent affected sites and chlor alkalisludge. M ycorrhiza benefits both the plants and the environm entally vulnerable sites. Plant benefits include augm entation of the supply of phosphorus and trace elem ents and protection of plant roots from root diseases, high soiltem peratures, and high salt concentrations. The hyphae of m ycorrhiza can also bind soil particles, im prove their aggregating capabilities, stabilize soil aggregates, and check leaching of im portant elem ents and heavy m etals.

Incresing aggregated value of the residue J. curcas The oil expell

The seed kernels are rich in crude protein, CP (31–34.5%) and lipid (55–58%). The neutraldetergent fibre contents of extracted J. curcas m eals w ere betw een 3.9% and 4.5 % of dry m atter (DM ). The gross energy of kernels ranged from 31.1 to 31.6 M J/kg DM . The contents of starch and totalsoluble sugars w ere below 6 %. The levels of essentialam ino acids, except lysine, w ere higher than that of the FAO/W HO reference protein for a five year old child in allthe m ealsam ples on a dry m atter basis. The com m on use of this residue is as soilorganic fertilizer after com posting since it possesses a com pound know n as phorbol, that is toxic to anim als. Thus, the R& D aim s at studying not only the com posting process of J. curcas residues but also to evaluate the detoxification potentialof m icro-organism s for production of m ushroom and anim alfeed. So, the residue can be transform ed in other products w ith high added value.

Jatropha R& D project

gilbertociro@ biovale.ind.br