Jatropha Curcas?

Question

Has anyone else in Aus approached the Govt re growing it on a plantation for biodiesel. We have & only got the run around in Depts. Has anyone else had this problem? The Govt has classed it as a weed, but the rest of the world disagrees & is growing it . Growing it makes economical & envionmental sense. Cheaper diesel, little emissions, pharmacutical benefits

insectecides, fertiliser, employment, grows in arid ground with little water, & doesn't compete with food crops etc.

Answer 1

Jatropha is a member of  family Euphobiacae.It is known as diesel plant.But other members likeEuphorbia  also having same property. Euphorbiacae family is known as bio fuel family.They are future petrolium crop.

Answer 2

well  as far as the indian government is concerned....they have staretd growing jatropha on a larga scale......in  our country the largest user of  fuel is the defence as a result the government has alloted special land to the defence so that they can meet their fuel requirements.

Currently the oil from Jatropha curcas seeds is used for making biodiesel fuel in Philippines, promoted by a law authored by Philippine senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Miguel Zubiri. Likewise, jatropha oil is being promoted as an easily grown biofuel crop in hundreds of projects throughout India and other developing countries. The rail line between Mumbai and Delhi is planted with Jatropha and the train itself runs on 15-20% biodiesel. In Africa, cultivation of Jatropha is being promoted and is grown successfully in countries such as Mali.

Estimates of Jatropha seed yield vary widely, due to a lack of research data, the genetic diversity of the crop, the range of environments in which it is grown, and Jatropha's perennial life cycle. Seed yields under cultivation can range from 1,500 to 2,000 kilograms per hectare, corresponding to extractable oil yields of 540 to 680 liters per hectare.

Jatropha can also be intercropped with other cash crops such as coffee, sugar, fruits and vegetables.[7]

Air New Zealand is planning a 747 jumbo jet flight from Auckland in the fall of 2008 with one of the four engines being powered by fuel refined from the seed of a fast-growing plant. The three-hour test flight could mark one of the more promising -- and more unusual -- steps by the financially strapped airline industry to find cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil fuel. The airline announced plans to use the new fuel for 10% of its needs by 2013. The jatropha oil is also significantly cheaper than crude oil. It could cost an estimated $43 a barrel, or about one-third of June 4, 2008 closing price of $122.30 for a barrel of crude oil.[8]

well there r other uses of jatropha caracus as well....

Leaves

The young leaves may be safely eaten, steamed or stewed. Cooked with goat meat, they are said to advantageously counteract its smell.

Pounded leaves are applied near horses' eyes to repel flies in India.

Flowers

The species is listed as a honey plant[15].

Nuts

Sometimes roasted and eaten, although they are purgative.

They can be burned like candlenuts when strung on grass[16].

Used as a contraceptive in South Sudan[17].

Seeds

Also used as a contraceptive in South Sudan[18].

The oil has been used for illumination, soap, candles, the adulteration of olive oil, and making Turkey red oil. Turkey red oil, also called sulphonated (or sulfated) castor oil, is the only oil that completely disperses in water. It is made by adding sulfuric acid to pure Jatropha oil[19]. It was the first synthetic detergent after ordinary Soap, as this allows easy use for making bath oil products. It is used in formulating lubricants, softeners, and dyeing assistants[20].

The seeds in the zone around Misantla, Veracruz are very appreciated by the population as food once they have been boiled and roasted. It is unclear if this is due to the existence of a non-toxic variety of Jatropha in Mexico and Central America, or if the seeds become edible once processed by cooking[21].

It is also similarly reported that Jatropha seeds are edible once the embryo has been removed[22]. Again it may be so because of these seeds coming from a local non-toxic variety.

Roots

Their ashes are used as a salt substitute[23]. It can be used to kill molluscs[24], and has been listed for homicide, piscicide, and raticide as well[25].

Bark

Used as a fish poison[26].

Latex

Strongly inhibits the watermelon mosaic virus[27].

Sap

It stains linen. Sometimes used for marking[28].

Shrub

Mexicans grow the shrub as a host for the lac insect, which is used in medicine as hepatoprotective and antiobesity drug. (Picture of lac insect here [6]; drawing of insect, its larva and a colony here

Used for erosion control