New study predicts yield for biofuel jatropha

An article in the current issue of Global Change Biology Bioenergy predicted the yield of the biofuel crop, jatropha, for present and future climates. Antonio Trabucco and his colleagues discovered that jatropha grows in a wide range of climatic conditions, including tropical and subtropical areas with limited suitability for intensive cropping. According to the study, jatropha requires higher annual precipitation to achieve significant biofuel production than previously thought. In addition, the study showed that climate changes over the next decade will lead to decreased yields in zones with reduced precipitation and increased yields in regions with reduced frost risks. (July 4, 2010)