An evaluation of multipurpose oil seed crop for industrial uses (Jatropha curcas L.): A review

Jatropha curcas, a multipurpose, drought resistant, perennial plant belonging to Euphorbiaceae family is gaining lot of importance for the production of biodiesel. It is a tropical plant that can be grown in low to high rainfall areas either in the farms as a commercial crop or on the boundaries as a hedge to protect fields from grazing animals and to prevent erosion. Before exploiting any plant for industrial application, it is imperative to have complete information about its biology, chemistry, and all other applications so that the potential of plant could be utilized maximally. The taxonomy, botanical description of the plant, its distribution and ecological requirement are discussed in this paper. Various propagation methods including tissue culture to get large diseased resistant plantlets of Jatropha are reviewed. The detailed information about the presence of various chemicals including toxins in different parts of the plant is summarized. The possibilities on the exploitation of potential of plant for various applications have been explored. The information about the toxins and detoxification methods is collected and discussed. Overall, this paper gives an overview on covering the biology, chemistry, toxicity of seeds and detoxification and various industrial uses, emphasizing the benefits on the rural and urban economy.