Evaluation and genetic polymorphism studies of jatropha (Jatropha curcus) for water stress tolerance

Jatropha (Jatropha curcus) is an alternative resource for biodiesel. To boost the rural economy in sustainable manner it is estimated that 30 Million hector plantation may replace current use of fossil fuel. Although Jatropha has an inbuilt ability to grow under water limited conditions, scanty information is available about natural genetic variation for water stress tolerance. Three local genotypes from Pune district were collected and initially screened by imparting artificial stress using PEG - 6000. Seedlings were subjected to increasing concentration of PEG - 6000 (30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 gm/l) to study effect on growth parameters. The root growth, number of secondary roots, true leaf expansion at morphological level and palisade mesophyll height, xylem vessel expansion at anatomical level showed drastic negative impact as compared to control. It is worth to note that local germplasm performance was categorized into susceptible group as compared to tolerant genotype [Chattisgadh Selection] indicating need for genetic improvement. These genotypes were further studied at molecular level with RAPD and ISSR markers to amplify genetic variation. Polymorphic bands from Chattisgadh selection genotype are being evaluated for their usefulness as markers for water stress tolerance.