Karyology and genomics of Jatropha: Current status and future prospects

Abstract

Global warming, population, environmental degradation and food production are serious concerns to the well being of mankind. Development of sustainable energy resources is an essential component to many of these problems. Bioenergy holds great promise to contribute significantly to reduce petroleum consumption and emission of green house gases. Biodiesel derived from the oil of Jatropha curcas seed is emerging as an alternative to fossil fuel, since it has the desirable physiochemical characteristics and performance even superior to conventional petroleum diesel. In addition, the plant is able to grow on marginal lands, which eliminates the “food versus fuel” dilemma. However, large scale cultivation of J. curcas remains the single most important issue that will ultimately decide of its success. Despite the availability of a vast germplasm with wide variability, not much progress has been made in developing varieties or hybrids for higher oil yield, better agricultural and economic features. Additional information about the karyology, genetic diversity and genomics is necessary to generate mapping populations, marker assisted selection and to develop superior genotypes. In this review, we discuss the state of the art of genetic improvement research for J. curcas.