SG Biofuels eyes good jatropha yields in India

United States’ sustainable plant-oil firm SG Biofuels Inc. (SGB), said it had developed jatropha hybrids suitable for growing in India that are expected to achieve annual yields of 5.5 tons of dry seed by maturity at years four to five.
The company said it had validated the performance of its hybrids at six centers in India and across 15 jatropha hybrid trial and agronomic research sites globally. According to the press release, side-by-side comparisons of SGB’s India hybrids have shown that they outperform commercial checks by 400-500%.
Jatropha curcas is a non-edible shrub that is native to Central America. Its seeds contain high amounts of oil that can be refined to produce diesel fuel, jet fuel and specialty chemicals. It can be effectively grown on marginal lands that are considered undesirable for other crops.
SGB says that its jatropha hybrids for India have exceptional stress, insect and disease tolerance and better germination rates. The hybrids also show early flowering and fruiting, which are key characteristics to establish the crop as soon as the monsoon season in India is over and before the high heat and drought periods come.
SGB added that last year a number of its hybrids had “thrived” during a record heat wave with temperatures of more than 45 degrees Celsius (113°F) for more than four weeks and a delay in monsoon rains. “The performance of SGB’s jatropha hybrids in India has far surpassed anything we have previously seen with the crop and provides us with significant confidence that we have the right platform in place to make jatropha a viable energy crop for India,” said Sandeep Chaturvedi, president of the Biodiesel Association of India.
(March 26, 2013)