Jatropha curcas phytotomy and applications: Development as a potential biofuel plant through biotechnological advancements

Jatropha curcas L. is a growing feedstock for biodiesel production. The first step in the exploitation of any plant for industrial application is to gather information about its chemistry, biology and all different applications so that the utilization of plant could be used optimized. J. curcas has been the centre of interest for many scientists in the past decade. The purpose of this paper is to present state-of-the-art review of J. curcas research advancement in biological, agronomical and biotechnological areas. This paper gives an overview on plantation science, composition, toxicity and genetics of J. curcas. This review also focuses on all J. curcas uses in agronomical terms. It gives a general idea of agricultural potential, utilizations, medical uses and other molecules that have been extracted from the plant. It finally focuses on the energy production from the crop and the biotechnological improvement of the biodiesel production process.