Jatropha R& D project

R& D goals and stakeholders

To set up a m ycorrhizalgerm plasm reservoir of genetic diversity of

m ycorrhizalfungiof jatropha-curcas w ith high oilyielding for biodiesel
production and the elim ination of the toxicity of the m eal]w aste for
anim alfeed

Executing organization :

BIOVALE ENERGIA –an em erging biodieselcom pany based in the M inas

Geraisin partnership w ith various stakeholders in the oilproduction chain

Co-executing organizations:
FederalUniversity of Viçosa –DM B/BIOAGRO, ranked as the best university
of M inas Gerais State and 3rd in Brazil
SECTES –M inas Gerais State Science and Technology Secretariat
EPAM IG –EM PRESA DE PESQUISA DE AGROPECUÁRIA DE M INAS, national
bench-m ark in jatropha developm ent
CENTRO TECNOLÓGICO DE M INAS GERAIS -CETEC
 New Technologies, New Gains

Biofuelproduction
has becom e
substantially m ore
efficient over the last
25 years as Braziland
the United States
have scaled up their
industries.

Such increm ental

gains are likely to
continue for years to
com e.

How ever, the greatest potentialfor biofuels lies in the

developm ent of new technologies that w illsignificantly expand
the range of biom ass feedstock, increase conversion efficiencies,
and low er production costs.
 Expected results
Docum entation, preservation and characterization of J. curcas
and m ycorrhizalfungigerm plasm

Developm ent of m icropropagated plants inoculated of ROC (Root

Organ Culture) of arbuscularm ycorrhizal(AM ) fungiand their in
vitro m ass inoculum production

Selection of jatropha genotypes w ith high oilyielding, envisaging

the biodieselproduction

Toxicity elim ination of the w aste for anim alfeed

Utilization and reclam ation of industry created w astelands

The m ycorrhizaltechnology offers biologicalm eans of assuring plant health in an
econom ically profitable and ecologically friendly m anner. The only know n fungalsystem
categorized as a biofertilizer, m ycorrhizae provide plant roots w ith extended arm s that
help them tap soilnutrients that are otherw ise beyond their reach. This m eans greater
availability of other, enriching soil, increasing health, and decreasing dependence on
chem icalfertilizers.
 Documentation, preservation and characterization
of J. curcas and mycorrhizal fungi germplasm

It exists a w ide diversity w ithin the AM fungiw hich form association

w ith the roots of alm ost 80% plant species and enhance m ineral
nutrient acquisition and w ater uptake, as w ellas increase tolerance
tow ards different environm entalstresses conditions.

To conserve and exploit their diversity, BioVale Project contem plates

to build J. curcas and m ycorrhizalfungiculture depository houses
and m aintain cultures from different agro-ecologicalzones, in
different areas of Brazil.

The expected result is to trap isolate a variety of J. curcas and

polysporal/m onosporalcultures, setting up a J. curcas and
m ycorrhizalfungigerm plasm collection of genetic diversity of
agriculturally and industrially species for oilproduction .
 Developm ent of RO C of different AM fungiand their
m ass inoculum production under in vitro

The ROC (root organ culture) system is the m ost

attractive and advanced cultivation m ethodology for
AM (arbuscularm ycorrhizal) fungi: it uses root-
inducing transfer-DNA-transform ed roots of a host
plant to develop the sym biosis on a specific m edium
in vitro w hich provides pure, viable, contam ination-
free inoculum using reduced space.

BioVale R& D Project aim s at gaining expertise in

ROC for in vitro culture and utilize m ass production
of AM fungiunder in vitro.
 M ass inoculum technology

Although the facts and figures of potentialrole of m ycorrhizal

association in enhanced nutritionaland w ater needs of plants in
laboratories, the m ajor bottleneck for its w idespread application
to reach the end-users is its bulk production to cater the huge
requirem ent.

A know n fact that culturing m ycorrhizalfungiin laboratory

conditions like other m icrobes w as not possible due to its strict
biotrophic nature of proliferation in the presence of suitable
host has been the m ajor reservation of its future contribution in
agriculture.

The m ass inoculum technology envisages to exploit the

genetically m odified host roots using the Agrobacterium um
rhizogenes carrying RiT-DNA plasm id. The technology offers the
m ass production of viable, healthy, genetically pure and high
quality fungalpropagules, w ithout any pathogenic contam ination
under in vitro environm ent.
 M ore and earlierproductivity

Jatropha has been identified as one the best plant

alternative to offer clean fuelfor achieving energy
security. Jatropha seeds inoculated w ith in vitro-
raised m ycorrhiza exhibits early fruition and
flow ers from the 7th m onth onw ards as against a
year w ith conventionalclonalplantations and tw o
years from seed raised plantations.

The m ycorrhized Jatropha also exhibited 20%–30%

higher yields as com pared to non-m ycorrhizal
plantations.

The m ycorrhized Jatropha w illbe w idely tested

covering severalagro-clim atic regions in Brazilto
prove their adaptation in diverse soils.
 Environmental amelioration using mycorrhizal technology

M ycorrhized Jatropha has been w orking on the reclam ation of

environm entally vulnerable and uncultivable lands using
m ycorrhizaltechnology for m ore than a decade in India. The
technology has proven its w orth and potentialin m any sites,
including fly ash overburdens, and land contam inated w ith
distillery effluents, tannery effluent affected sites and chlor
alkalisludge.

M ycorrhiza benefits both the plants and the environm entally

vulnerable sites. Plant benefits include augm entation of the
supply of phosphorus and trace elem ents and protection of plant
roots from root diseases, high soiltem peratures, and high salt
concentrations. The hyphae of m ycorrhiza can also bind soil
particles, im prove their aggregating capabilities, stabilize soil
aggregates, and check leaching of im portant elem ents and heavy
m etals.
 Incresing aggregated value of the residue J. curcas
The oil expell

The seed kernels are rich in crude protein, CP (31–34.5%) and lipid
(55–58%). The neutraldetergent fibre contents of extracted J.
curcas m eals w ere betw een 3.9% and 4.5 % of dry m atter (DM ).
The gross energy of kernels ranged from 31.1 to 31.6 M J/kg DM .
The contents of starch and totalsoluble sugars w ere below 6 %.
The levels of essentialam ino acids, except lysine, w ere higher
than that of the FAO/W HO reference protein for a five year old
child in allthe m ealsam ples on a dry m atter basis.

The com m on use of this residue is as soilorganic fertilizer after

com posting since it possesses a com pound know n as phorbol, that
is toxic to anim als. Thus, the R& D aim s at studying not only the
com posting process of J. curcas residues but also to evaluate the
detoxification potentialof m icro-organism s for production of
m ushroom and anim alfeed. So, the residue can be transform ed in
other products w ith high added value.
Jatropha R& D project

gilbertociro@ biovale.ind.br