9Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 125: 2012.

Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 125:9–12. 2012.

*Corresponding author; phone: (305) 246-7001 ext. 210; email: vendrame@ufl.edu

Krome Memorial Section

Performance of Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.) Accessions under Different Microclimate Conditions in Florida

Wagner a. Vendrame*1, Kimberly moore2, ann C. WilKie3, Jonathan h. Crane1, and Wanda montas1

1University of Florida, IFAS, Tropical Research and Education Center, Environmental Horticulture, 18905 SW 280th Street, Homestead, FL 33031

2University of Florida, IFAS, Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center, Environmental Horticulture, 3205 College Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33314

3University of Florida, IFAS, Energy Research and Education Park, Soil and Water Sciences, PO Box 110960, Gainesville, FL 32611

AdditionAl index words. biodiesel, bioenergy crops, biojet fuel, field trials

Jatropha (Jatropha curcas) seedlings from an accession from India were established for performance trials in three different locations in Florida: the Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC) in Homestead, the Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center (FLREC) in Ft. Lauderdale, and the Energy Research and Education Park (EREP) in Gainesville. Soil analyses were performed. Data on morphological and reproductive characteristics were recorded for years 2010 and 2011. Variations in all characteristics were observed for plants at the three distinct locations. Overall, jatropha plants at TREC performed better as compared to plants at FLREC and EREP. The freezing events of 2010 and 2011 affected the growth and yield of jatropha plants. The effects of freezing were more evident for plants located at FLREC and EREP, causing a delay in flowering and consequently in fruit and seed production. High volume ir-rigation (TREC) proved more effective for cold protection as compared to sand mounding (FLREC and EREP). In general, plants established well and developed normally in all three locations, providing promising perspectives that jatropha can have its cultivation area expanded statewide.

Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.), also known as physic nut, is a pantropical species that belongs to the Euphorbiaceae. It is reported to be native to Central America and commonly used as a living fence in tropical areas, but widely distributed in South and Central America, Africa, and Asia (Heller, 1996). The species has been identified as a suitable plant for biofuel production; its seeds produce oil of high quality for biodiesel and bio jet fuel production, meeting European and American quality standards (Lu et al., 2009; Openshaw, 2000). However, jatropha is still un-domesticated and not considered a crop due to the lack of breeding and genetic improvement programs, as well as the development of cultivation practices.

Essential for breeding, selection, and genetic improvement are performance trials under different climatic and soil conditions. Jatropha is reported to grow in semi-arid regions, on marginal soils, under adverse conditions such a rocky areas, sandy and saline soils, and could improve soil structure and control erosion (Openshaw, 2000; Padma, 2007).

In 1996 the field performance of 13 jatropha accessions in different sites in Senegal and Cape Verde was evaluated and sig-nificant differences in vegetative growth were observed (Heller, 1996). However, performance trials for jatropha accessions are still limited (Reddy and Pamidimarri, 2010) and additional studies are necessary to validate the potential of jatropha cultivation and growth performance under varying soil conditions (Abhilash et al., 2010; Srivastava, 2011).

Growth performance, variability in yield and oil content are characteristics of interest for breeding and genetic improvement, and have been investigated for selected accessions of jatropha growing in large-scale plantations (Srivastava et al., 2011). Promising accessions were identified and could be selected for crop improvement programs. The authors conclude that multi-locational trials are essential for the development of best management practices.

Previous studies provided preliminary data on the performance of jatropha accessions in South Florida (Crane et al., 2010). In this study, we performed trials of jatropha accessions from India in three distinct locations in Florida. Climate and soil conditions were assessed and evaluations of growth parameters and yield components performed.

Material and Methods

Seeds that originated from a jatropha accession from India were selected for the trials. Trials were established at three distinct sites belonging to the University of Florida, as described below. Soil samples were collected from each site and analyzed by A&L Southern Agricultural Laboratories (Deerfield Beach, FL) for physical and chemical characteristics (Table 1).

site 1—tropicAl reseArch And educAtion center (trec), homesteAd, Fl. Seeds were germinated in greenhouse and 25 seedlings planted in the field at TREC (25°50’N and 80°50’W, 3.8 m above sea level), USDA hardiness zone 10b, on 25 June 2009. Homestead has a marine subtropical climate with mean annual temperature of 24 °C (max. 29 °C; min. 19 °C) and an-

10 Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 125: 2012.

nual precipitation of 1473 mm/year. The soil is classified as a Krome very gravelly loam, being very shallow, well-drained with limerock up to the soil surface, pH 7.4 to 8.4, low water holding capacity, 3% to 10% organic matter content, and low nutrient content (Li, 2001).

The Florida Automated Weather Network (FAWN) recorded 1380 mm of rain in 2010 and 1506 mm in 2011. The maximum temperatures in both years ranged from 27 to 35 °C with mini-mum temperatures of –0.77 to 1.41 °C in Dec. 2010 and Jan. 2011, respectively.

Plants were spaced 2.4 m in-row × 3.7 m between-rows and irrigated every other day with a microsprinkler system for 30 min at a rate of 98 L·h–1 throughout the year. Fertilization was applied monthly to each tree with 100 g July through Dec. 2009 to 200 g January through Apr. 2010 of 6N–2.25P–12.45K fertilizer (Atlantic FEC – Fertilizer & Chemical Co., Homestead, FL). No minor elements were applied.

site 2—Fort lAuderdAle reseArch And educAtion center (Flrec), Ft. lAuderdAle, Fl. Forty-seven seedlings were established at FLREC (26°08’N and 80°24’W, 1.17 m above sea level) in May 2010. Fort Lauderdale is located in USDA hardiness zone 10b and has a tropical rainforest climate with mean annual temperature of 23.5 °C (74.3 °F); max. 28 °C; min. 19 °C, and annual precipitation of 1626 mm/year. The soil is classified as a Hallandale-Margate Association, fine sand soil nearly level with less than 1 m deep to hard limestone, poorly-drained, pH 6.3 to 6.5, high water holding capacity, 3.7% to 4.2% organic matter content, and poor nutrient content (USDA, 1972). Rainfall in Fort Lauderdale between May 2010 and Dec. 2010 was 1139 mm, and 1336 mm for the same period in 2011. Maximum temperatures ranged from 28 to 36 °C in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The coldest temperatures of 0 to 0.56 °C were recorded in Dec.2010 and Jan. 2011, respectively.

Plants were spaced 2.4 m in-row × 3.7 m between-rows, and irrigated every 2 d for 30 min at a rate of 38 L·h–1. Trees were fertilized in May 2010, Aug. 2010, Apr. 2011, July 2011, and Oct. 2011 with 12N–0.9P–11.6K Southern Ornamental and Landscape fertilizer (LESCO, Inc. Cleveland, OH) controlled release fertil-izer at an N rate of 0.5 kg/100 m2. Fertilizer was broadcast over a 0.84-m2 area around each tree. Weeds were controlled by hand or with periodic applications of N-(phosphono-methyl) glycine (gylphosate, Roundup Pro, Monsanto Company, St. Louis, MO).

site 3—energy reseArch And educAtion pArk (erep), gAinesville, Fl. Seeds were germinated during summer 2008 and transplanted to field during October through Nov. 2009. Six-teen seedlings were established at EREP (29°61’N and 82°37’W, 29.3 m above sea level) in USDA hardiness zone 9a. FAWN recorded 998 mm of rain for Alachua for 2010 and 975 mm for 2011, and maximum temperatures ranging from 25 to 37 °C in 2010 and 24 to 38 °C in 2011, with minimum temperature of –9.1 °C in Jan 2010 and –7.1 °C in Jan. 2011. Gainesville has a

mild humid subtropical climate with mean annual temperature of 21°C (max. 28 °C; min. 14 °C) and annual precipitation of 1270 mm/yr. The soil at EREP is classified as Chipley-Tavares-Sparr, well-drained and sandy to a depth of 1 to 2 m and loamy below (USDA, 1982). The soil had 6.6 % organic matter content, pH of 6.0 and moderate nutrient content.

Plants were spaced in two blocks of 3 m in-row × 3 m between-rows, and 4.3 m in-row × 3 m between-rows, respectively, and irrigated twice weekly for 30 min at a rate of 38 L·h–1. Each plant received 100 g in 2010 and 9 g in 2011 of 6N–2.7P–4.98K fertilizer every month.

For each site, data on performance of plants was collected for a period of two years, 2010 and 2011. The characteristics evalu-ated included plant height, trunk caliper, number of branches per tree, date of onset of dormancy, date of first flower, number of inflorescences per tree, date of first fruit, number of fruits per tree, number of seeds per tree, seed dry weight per tree, and total number of seeds per tree. Plant height was measured from the ground level to the tip of the tallest branch. Trunk diameter was measured at 15 cm from the soil surface. Fruits were harvested and counted as they matured. After harvest, seeds were counted and dry weight measured after drying seeds at 70 °C for 24 h.

During the winters of 2010 and 2011, freezing weather con-ditions occurred and different freeze protection measures were utilized at the different sites. The effects of such different measures were observed and recorded.

Results and Discussion

Jatropha plants were well established at the three different sites, TREC in Homestead, FLREC in Ft. Lauderdale, and EREP in Gainesville (Fig. 1). Differences were observed for all char-acteristics evaluated for the three different sites (Tables 2 and 3). Plant height in 2010 varied from 1.03 m (FLREC) to 1.39 m (TREC), and in 2011 from 1.60 m (FLREC) to 2.04 m (EREP). The increase in height was 17% for TREC, 56% for FLREC, and 51% for EREP. The largest trunk caliper was measured in 2011 for trees at FLREC, with mean value of 10.1 cm, as compared to 4.0 cm for EREP and 6.1 cm for TREC. For 2010, the larg-est caliper was 7.2 cm for trees at FLREC, followed by 6.0 cm for TREC and 1.7 cm for EREP (Table 2). The larger increase in height for FLREC and EREP as compared to TREC is likely due to the fact that TREC plants were planted in 2009 and had their largest height growth (70% to 86%) between 2009 and 2010 (Crane et al., 2010), while plants at FLREC and EREP were es-tablished in 2010. However, the growth increase for FLREC and EREP between 2010 and 2011 are comparable to that of TREC between 2009 and 2010.

Yield is directly related to branching in jatropha, as fruits are borne terminally in the branches. Therefore, branching is considered one of the major factors affecting yields in jatropha

Table 1. Chemical and physical characteristicsz of typical soils from the three different sites in Florida: the Tropical Research and Education Center, in Homestead; the Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center, in Ft. Lauderdale; and the Energy Research and Education Park, in Gainesville.

CEC Organic matterLocation pH (meq/100 g) (%) Soil classificationTREC–Homestead 7.4–8.4 8.7–12.2 3.0–10.0 Krome Gravelly LoamFLREC–Ft. Lauderdale 6.6 7.7 3.5 Margate Fine SandEREP–Gainesville 5.7 11.4 5.8 Chipley-Tavares-SparrzSoil analyses were performed by A&L Southern Agricultural Laboratories (Deerfield Beach, FL).

11Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 125: 2012.

(Carels, 2009). In this study, the number of branches per tree had an 86% increase between 2010 and 2011 for trees at TREC, and a 33% increase for EREP, while no increase occurred for trees at FLREC (Table 2). However, the number of fruits per tree was erratic when comparing the three sites (Table 3). While trees at TREC and EREP had comparable number of fruits, FLREC had very low fruit production for 2010. For 2011, while TREC had a 292% increase in fruits per tree, EREP had a reduction of 41%.

Fig. 1. Jatropha plants growing at the Tropical Research and Education Center, in

Homestead (A); the Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center, in Ft. Lauderdale (B);

and the Energy Research and Education Park, in Gainesville (C). July-August, 2011.

A

B C

Fig. 1. Jatropha plants growing at the Tropical Research and Education Center, in Homestead (A); the Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center, in Ft. Lauderdale (B); and the Energy Research and Education Park, in Gainesville (C). July–August 2011.

Table 2. Morphological characteristics of jatropha accessions from India under three different microclimates in Florida: the Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC), in Homestead; the Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center (FLREC), in Ft. Lauderdale; and the Energy Research and Education Park (EREP), in Gainesville.

Mean plant ht Mean trunk caliper Mean no. branches Date of onsetLocation Year (cm) (cm) per tree (range) of dormancy

TREC–Homesteadz 2010 139 6.0 3.6 (3 to 6) Dec. 2010 2011 163 6.1 6.7 (4 to 8) Dec. 2011

FLREC–Ft. Lauderdaley 2010 103 7.2 3.6 (1 to 6) Nov. 2010 2011 160 10.1 3.6 (1 to 7) Dec. 2011

EREP–Gainesvillex 2010 135 1.7 9.5 (3 to 21) Dec. 2010 2011 204 4.0 12.6 (7 to 26) Dec. 2011zData from 25 plants.yData from 47 plants.xData from 16 plants.

Although FLREC had a large increase in fruits per tree from 2010 to 2011, it was still small (mean of 5.6 fruits per tree) as compared to other sites (Table 3). The difference in the number of branches for all three sites and the low yield of FLREC plants are possibly related to poor branching. Furthermore, the cold protection system utilized to protect plants from frost might have affected branching and consequently yield. Similarly, fruit production was delayed for FLREC and EREP as compared to TREC (Table 3). This is further discussed below.

The number of seeds per tree remained the same for trees at TREC between 2010 and 2011, while a reduction in seed produc-tion occurred for trees at EREP (Table 3). A 16-fold increase in the number of seeds occurred for trees at FLREC in 2011, and the numbers were comparable to those of EREP. However, number of seeds for both FLREC and EREP were about 38% to 46% of those for trees at TREC (Table 3).

The increase in the total number of seeds per year was 421% for TREC and 118% for FLREC, while a reduction of 39% oc-curred at EREP (Table 3). The same trend was reflected for the total seed dry weight per year, with increases of 404% and 105% for TREC and FLREC, respectively, and a reduction of 75% for EREP. Seed dry weight was comparable for TREC and FLREC, while no seed dry weight data was obtained for EREP (Table 3).

The low seed production for both FLREC and EREP could be attributed to the reduced growth that occurred as affected by two cold periods in 2010 and 2011, respectively, when for several weeks low temperatures were predominant. In 2011, lowest temperatures reached about –5.5 °C for EREP and 0 °C for FLREC, while for TREC temperatures remained above 6.1 °C (FAWN, 2011). During potential weather freezing events at TREC, an overhead high-volume irrigation system was utilized when temperatures reached about 2.2 °C, remaining in opera-tion overnight until temperatures increased above 4 °C the next morning. This system proved to be efficient as no plants were lost during the freezing periods of 2010 and 2011 (Fig. 2A and 2B).

In contrast, for FLREC and EREP a different freeze protec-tion system was utilized, by mounding up a cone of sand around the base of the tree (Fig. 2C and 2D). Trees were defoliated and branches were cut to the ground to allow regrowth. As the root system was well insulated and protected from cold, trees were able to regrow without problems and no losses. However, branches required a longer time to regrow and reach reproductive stage, delaying flowering at FLREC and EREP to August and September, while at TREC trees flowered in April.

Onset of dormancy was observed for trees in all sites starting in

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December for both 2010 and 2011, with the exception of trees in Ft. Lauderdale, which initiated dormancy in November for 2010. During onset of dormancy, trees lost their leaves, resuming new leaf growth during spring of following year.

Conclusion

Jatropha plants are capable of growing and performing well under the three different microclimate conditions evaluated in

Florida. Differences in morphological and reproductive charac-teristics were observed and are likely due to differences in soil and temperature conditions. Two methods of cold protection proved to be effective during freeze events and no losses occurred, but soil mounding of plants resulted in delays in flowering and subsequently fruiting. Ongoing studies will continue to evaluate additional plant characteristics, including oil content.

The successful growth and yield of jatropha plants under different microclimate conditions in Florida offer the promising potential of the expansion of cultivation areas around that state.

Literature Cited

Abhilash, P.C., P. Srivastava, S. Jamil, and N. Singh. 2010. Revisited Jat-ropha curcas as an oil plant of multiple benefits: Critical research needs and prospects for the future. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 18(1):127–131.

Carels, N. 2009. Jatropha curcas: A review. Chapter 2. Adv. Bot. Res. 50:39–86.

Crane, J.H., W.A. Vendrame, W. Montas, A. Pinares, and E.A. Evans. 2010. Preliminary field evaluation of jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.) under south Florida environmental conditions. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 123:1–4.

Heller, J. 1996. Physic nut Jatropha curcas L. Promoting the conserva-tion and use of underutilized and neglected crops. 1, Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research/International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Gatersleben, Germany/Rome, Italy.

Li, Y. 2001. Calcareous soils in Miami–Dade County. Soil and Water Sci. Dept., Fla. Coop. Ext. Serv., IFAS, Univ. of Fla., Gainesville. p. 1–3.

Lu, H., Y. Liu, H. Zhou, Y. Yang, M. Chen, and B. Liang. 2009. Pro-duction of biodiesel from Jatropha curcas oil. Comp. Chem. Engin. 33:1091–1096.

Openshaw, K. 2000. A review of Jatropha curcas: An oil plant of unfilled promise. Biom. Bioen. 19:1–15.

Padma, N. 2007. Biotechnological intervention in jatropha for biodiesel production. Curr. Sci. 93:1347–1348.

Srivastava, P., S.K. Behera, J. Gupta, S. Jamil, N. Singh, Y.K. Sharma. 2011. Growth performance, variability in yield traits and oil content of selected accessions of Jatropha curcas L. growing in a large scale plantation site. Biom. Bioen. 35:3936–3942.

Reddy, M.P. and D.V.N.S. Pamidimarri. 2010. Biology and biotechno-logical advances in Jatropha curcas—A biodiesel plant, p. 57–71. In: K.G. Ramawat (ed.). Desert plants. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

Fig. 2. Freezing temperatures at TREC, in Homestead (A) and EREP, in Gainesville (B). Plant cold protection systems using high volume overhead irrigation at TREC, in Homestead (C), and sand mounding at the base of the plant at EREP, in Gainesville (D). Sand mounding was also utilized at FLREC, in Ft. Lauderdale. Plants at TREC had new shoots formed the following spring. Plants at FLREC and EREP had new growth from the ground in the following spring. January–February 2010.

Table 3. Reproductive characteristics of jatropha accessions in three different locations in Florida: the Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC), in Homestead; the Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center (FLREC), in Ft. Lauderdale; and the Energy Research and Educa-tion Park (EREP), in Gainesville.

Mean no. Mean no. Mean no. Mean seed Total no. Date of inflorescences Date of fruits seeds dry wt seedsLocation Year first flower per tree first fruit per tree per tree per tree (g) per tree

TREC–Homesteadz 2010 Apr. 2010 ndy May 2010 24.1 62.5 0.74 633 2011 Apr. 2011 47.5 May 2011 70.3 63.3 0.71 2666

FLREC–Ft. Lauderdalex 2010 Aug. 2010 2.0 Sept. 2010 0.3 1.49 0.78 70 2011 Aug. 2011 4.1 June 2011 5.6 24.3 0.86 826

EREP–Gainesvillew 2010 Sept. 2010 4.2 Oct. 2010 30.9 70.9 ndy 96 2011 Sept. 2011 7.2 Nov. 2011 12.5 29.5 ndy 59zData from 25 plants.yNo data.xData from 47 plants.wData from 16 plants.

Fig. 2. Freezing temperatures at TREC, in Homestead (A) and EREP, in Gainesville (C). Plant

cold protection systems using high volume overhead irrigation at TREC, in Homestead (A),

and sand mounding at the base of the plant at EREP, in Gainesville (D). Sand mounding was

also utilized at FLREC, in Ft. Lauderdale. Plants at TREC had new shoots formed the

A B

C D

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