Morphological and Yield Characteristics of Six (6) Varieties of Jatropha curcas L. Collected from Different Locations in South-West Nigeria

The world's crude oil is fast depleting, hence the need to look inwards for other energy sources. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that has received considerable attention recently because it is non-polluting and biofuels from plants represent the most abundant source of renewable fuels. Jatropha curcas L, a multipurpose perennial plant has gained lots of importance for the use of its non-edible seeds in the production of biodiesel. This study is aimed at assessing performance of selected Morphological and yield parameters of wild collections of the crop comparing their variability for future improvement breeding programmes. Seeds of Jatropha curcas LA01JC, OG01JC, OG02JC, OS01JC, OY01JC and OY02JC were collected from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Osun States and nursed in loam soil. The seedlings were then transplanted on the field using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Data collection (Plant height, Stem length, Petiole length, Collar diameter, Canopy spread, Leaf length, Leaf width, Number of branches, Number of leaves; Days to flowering Number of fruits per tree, Number of inflorescences, Number of fruits per inflorescence, Fruit length, Fruit weight, Fresh fruit weight) commenced four weeks after transplanting. The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance and mean separated using Duncan's Multiple Range Tests; while Pearson correlation and Principal component analysis were used to study relationships and variability of the collections and the characters. The result showed significant differences between the collections with respect to the morphological and yield variables measured. OY01JC had the highest plant height (107.217cm), OS01JC flowered earliest (254 days) and produced more fruits per stand (23). Morphological and Yield variables had significant (p ≤ 0.01) and positive correlation with one another. Correlation between days to flowering is negatively highly significant with number of fruits per inflorescence (-0.615), number of inflorescence (-0.571), number of fruits per tree (0.869), fruit length (-0.724), fruit width (-0.714) and fresh fruit weight (-0.729). Consequently, this study demonstrates that collections investigated were highly variable for all parameters evaluated and harbours obvious potentials for improvement. Hence OS01JC, OY01JC and OY02JC could serve as a good starting point for further improvements.