BACKGROUND Recently, Jatropha curcas L. has attracted worldwide attention for its potential as a source of biodiesel. However, most DNA markers have demonstrated high levels of genetic similarity among and within jatropha populations around the globe. Despite promising features of copia-type retrotransposons as ideal genetic tools for gene tagging, mutagenesis, and marker-assisted selection, th...

Background Jatropha curcas is a drought resistant shrub native in tropical America, now widely grown in many tropical and subtropical regions for biodiesel production [1]. First reports on virus infections in Jatropha indicated the occurrence of viruses closely related to Cassava mosaic virus in India, reaching a disease incidence from 25 to 47%. This might represent a major constrain to the pr...

In the present study, the high viscosity of the jatropha curcas oil was decreased by preheating. The effect of fuel inlet temperature on performance of diesel engine is evaluated. A single cylinder, four stroke, constant speed, air cooled, direct injection diesel engine developing a power output of 3.7 kW at 1500 rev/min typically used in agricultural sector was tested using neat jatropha oil a...

Gibberellins (GAs) are plant hormones that play fundamental roles in plant growth and development. Gibberellin 2-oxidase (GA2ox) plays a direct role in determining the levels of bioactive GAs by catalyzing bioactive GAs or their immediate precursors to inactive forms. In this study, a GA2ox gene, designated JcGA2ox6, was isolated from Jatropha curcas. JcGA2ox6 is expressed in all tissues of adu...

Jatropha curcas is widely cultivated in Thailand, the seeds of which yield high quality oil used for biodiesel production. Toxicity due to ingestion of Jatropha curcas has become more common among children due to the close proximity between cultivation and residential areas. We report 10 calls made over a 40-month period to the Siriraj Poison Control Center involving 75 children ages 2-14 years...

In this work, samples of the medicinal plants: Boldo (Peumus boldus), Castanha da Índia (Aesculus hippocastanum), Chá Verde (Camelia sinensis), Erva Cidreira (Melissa officinalis), Espinheira Santa (Maytenus ilicifolia), Guaraná (Paullinia cupana), Maracujá (Passiflora sp.), Mulungu (Erythrina velutina), Sene (Cassia angustifolia) and Valeriana (Valeriana officinalis) were evaluated BY using th...

Jatropha curcas seeds are an excellent biofuel feedstock, but seed yields of Jatropha are limited by its poor flowering and fruiting ability. Thus, identifying genes controlling flowering is critical for genetic improvement of seed yield. We isolated the JcLFY, a Jatropha ortholog of Arabidopsis thaliana LEAFY (LFY), and identified JcLFY function by overexpressing it in Arabidopsis and Jatropha...

The aim of the present research work is to investigate the influence of Jatropha biodiesel properties on various characteristics of a direct injection compression ignition engine. The experiments were performed at different engine operating regimes with the injection timing prescribed by the engine manufacturer for diesel fuel. The engine characteristics with Jatropha biodiesel were compared ag...

Jatropha is an important second-generation biofuel plant. Salinity is a major factor adversely impacting the growth and yield of several plants including Jatropha. SbNHX1 is a vacuolar Na⁺/H⁺ antiporter gene that compartmentalises excess Na⁺ ions into the vacuole and maintains ion homeostasis. We have previously cloned and characterised the SbNHX1 gene from an extreme halophyte, Salicornia brac...