2e chance for Jatropha??

Abstract

RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modifications are essential in plants. Here, we show that transgenic expression of the human RNA demethylase FTO in rice caused a more than threefold increase in grain yield under greenhouse conditions. In field trials, transgenic expression of FTO in rice and potato caused ~50% increases in yield and biomass. We demonstrate that the presence of FTO stimulates root meristem cell proliferation and tiller bud formation and promotes photosynthetic efficiency and drought tolerance but has no effect on mature cell size, shoot meristem cell proliferation, root diameter, plant height or ploidy. FTO mediates substantial m6A demethylation (around 7% of demethylation in poly(A) RNA and around 35% decrease of m6A in non-ribosomal nuclear RNA) in plant RNA, inducing chromatin openness and transcriptional activation. Therefore, modulation of plant RNA m6A methylation is a promising strategy to dramatically improve plant growth and crop yield.

in

Nature Biotechnologie 39, 1581-1588 (2021)

 

Another one bites the dust.

JatroSolutions used to be a serious company in the world of Jatropha developments like breeding and selection. They also further developed the edible Chuta jatropha which came already in production by Jatropower in 2010. For one reason or another their major shareholder, the German 3e energy giant EnBW  decided to pull the plug. They stopped all JatroSolutions activities except the experimental plantation in Madagascar.  Breeding activities from JatroSolutions in Cameron are  owned by country manager and breeder Euloge Dongmeza, who now works under the umbrella of the Swiss company Jatropower (George Francis) who formally also acquired the breeding activities of D1/Quinvita.

The Chuta activities have been taken over by Sebastian Held, managing director of Chuta Nut GmbH in Ulm, Germany.

 

Singapore's JOil the world's first corporate to obtain Gold Standard sustainability certification for its Jatropha plantation

 • NGO-backed Gold Standard certification obtained for Ghana plantation

 • JOil's proprietary Jatropha varieties a highly productive non-food crop for multiple sustainable industrial applications including biofuel

 • Second certification following ISCC certification since 2019 SINGAPORE, March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire

 Singapore-based Jatropha JOil Singapore Pte Limited (JOil) has become the first corporate to be awarded the worldclass sustainability certification Gold Standard for its Jatropha plantation in Ghana. Its Jatropha trees produce fruits that are a non-food, low carbon footprint source material for a variety of eco-friendly industrial applications, including biofuel. A best-in-class certification globally for climate and development projects, the prestigious Gold Standard certification has been awarded to JOil's Jatropha plantations in Bono East Province, Ghana, as afforestation, reforestation and re-desertification (ARR) project, the first corporate to achieve this, since the certification was established in 2003 by WWF and other international NGOs as a best practice standard for sustainable development. A joint venture between Temasek Holdings Limited, Tata International and Skyland Holdings, JOil is a pioneer in developing a sustainable Jatropha value chain. It uses a technology-led approach in planting variety research and downstream application technologies for industrial uses such as bio-resins, bio-plastics, bio-candles, to name a few. As part of upstream development, JOil will directly plant about 6,000 hectares (ha) of Jatropha and establish about 14,000 ha of Jatropha Plantation through an estimated 14,000 small holder outgrowers. This is expected to create agricultural employment opportunities for an estimated 1,500 people, especially women. JOil plans to certify all the plantations under Gold Standard or other appropriate carbon certification standards.

Mongabay Series: Bioenergy, Covering the Commons, Planetary Boundaries

Jatropha: The biofuel that bombed seeks a path to redemption

by Sean Mowbray on 6 April 2023

• Earlier this century, jatropha was hailed as a “miracle” biofuel. An unassuming shrubby tree native to Central America, it was wildly promoted as a high-yielding, drought-tolerant biofuel feedstock that could grow on degraded lands across Latin America, Africa and Asia.

• A jatropha rush ensued, with more than 900,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) planted by 2008. But the bubble burst. Low yields led to plantation failures nearly everywhere. The aftermath of the jatropha crash was tainted by accusations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon reduction claims.

• Today, some researchers continue pursuing the evasive promise of high-yielding jatropha. A comeback, they say, is dependent on cracking the yield problem and addressing the harmful land-use issues intertwined with its original failure.

• The sole remaining large jatropha plantation is in Ghana. The plantation owner claims high-yield domesticated varieties have been achieved and a new boom is at hand. But even if this comeback falters, the world’s experience of jatropha holds important lessons for any promising up-and-coming biofuel.

At the beginning of the 21st century, Jatropha curcas, an unassuming shrub-like tree native to Central America, was planted across the world. The rush to jatropha was driven by its promise as a sustainable source of biofuel that could be grown on degraded, unfertile lands so as not to displace food crops. But inflated claims of high yields fell flat.

Now, after years of research and development, the sole remaining large plantation focused on growing jatropha is in Ghana. And Singapore-based jOil, which owns that plantation, claims the jatropha comeback is on.

 Jatropha oil again?

After being silent for a while, I got triggered by the rising interest for Jatropha oil.

Not as a biofuel; most of these ambitious projects failed, as I uncovered before.

There is a more realistic approach to develop a business  case for the use of Jatropha products on a local scale.

This means not only biofuels (as going to be used in safari diesel cars in e.g. Tanzania) but also Jatropha soap being produced in Zimbabwe and exported to e.g. Germany.

This means not only producing seedcake briquettes in stead of charcoal for fuel but also seedcake as a fertilizer (https://jatropha.pro/seedcake-as-fertilizer/) and actually again for soap production and eventually for cardboard production.

The Jatropha market is merely hampered by several problems.

1.      The ambitious business plans of big companies were utterly unrealistic.

2.      There was a story buzzing around Jatropha that because the oil is poisonous, you could not use the seedcake in agriculture and you could not use oil or seedcake in health products like soap.

3.      The university of Katesart in Thailand proved already a long time ago that seedcake is a safe organic fertilizer and even better than chicken manure. See link for the complete study

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/uc?id%3D0By3dl79GeixyY0I3SFVhMXk1WGc&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1689758274778082&usg=AOvVaw3Pr7jnrTkg_tEAiBl3T1kU

           There is a lot of  anecdotical information that Jatropha soap works as an antibacterial treatment and a proper prevention for eczema .

5.       So far I did not run into scientific studies affirming the above mentioned claims, but still the soap is sold in the UK end Germany.

LET US TRY TO REVIVE THE PRODUCTION OF JATROPHA PRODUCTS FOR THE SAKE OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN AFRICA AND ASIA.

 

Find more scientific data on  https://sites.google.com/view/jatropha-pro/homepage

Jatropha diesel in Mozambique

At least one company in the world is proud enough to announce that their jatropha production is successful.

Niqel (Jatropha production and oil manufacturing) in Mozaqmbique operates the first industrial, fully mechanised, Jatropha oil mill in the world. The brand new factory is located on a 3 hectare plot in the center of the Niqel Jatropha estate. The incoming Jatropha fruits are turned into Jatropha bio-oil, green energy, Jatropha protein meal, organic pellets and organic fertilizer. The technology for the oil winning process was developed in the Netherlands. The Jatropha bio-oil presents a very promising alternative to diesel oil since it is renewable and has similar properties to the diesel. It can be used in conventional diesel engines without any engine modification, using a blend of 25% Jatropha bio-oil and 75% diesel.

Link to Biodiesel Amsterdam 

Comments.

Jatropha lifecycle is unpredictable. latest information (2023) is that Niqel switched to the production of Eucalyptus

Who will be next.?

In a recent overview in Elsevier with the promising title "International experiences with the cultivation of Jatropha curcas for biodiesel production" https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360544216308477 , the writer sums up a total of 22 jatropha disasters. Conclusion of the articele: After examining the global scenarios for the cultivation of J. curcas to produce biodiesel, the review concludes that the plant shows a large potential as an energy source to alleviate in part local environmental (e. g. recovering of waste land), social (e. g. employment demand) and economic (e. g. reduce poverty) problems.

uuuhhh???
follow the link.