Jatropha

Jatropha Curcas ‘Linneus’ is recognized as a plant of many uses and is generally well-known. The plant grows to about 3 meters high and produces seed that contain an inedible vegetable oil that is used as a source of fuel. Known as tuba tuba or tubang bakod or physic nut, it has been planted in the Philippines for quite some time but it was used mainly as fencing since it animals do not eat the leaves. As Jatropha is toxic, it is not eaten by goats or other animals It is a vigorous, drought and pest resistant plant and has phytoprotective action against pests and pathogens and thus provides additional protection to intercropped plants. The trees are deciduous, shedding the leaves in the dry season. Flowering occurs during the wet season and two flowering peaks are often seen.

Many parts of Jatropha plants have been used historically by local cultures. Even the oil has applications as a medicine, a lubricant or as a fuel. The oil content is 35-40% in the seeds and 50-60% in the kernel. The oil contains 21% saturated fatty acids and 79% unsaturated fatty acids. The trees are easy to propagate from seed and cuttings and start bearing fruit within 9-12 months. The plant is a drought-resistant perennial, growing well in marginal/poor soil. It is easy to establish, grows relatively quickly and lives, producing seeds for so many years. This highly drought-resistant spe-cies is adapted to arid and semi-arid conditions. The current distribution shows that introduction has been most successful in the drier regions of the tropics with annual rainfall of 300-1000 mm.

Other known benefits:

it is capable of stabilizing sand dunes,
it does not exhaust the nutrients in the land
it is drought resistant