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Maximizing Jatropha: The Science Behind JMax

Molecular genetic analyses on Jatropha curcas indicate that its genetic diversity is extremely limited among collections from India and Africa, where most of the existing commercial Jatropha material originates. Evidence suggests that the material that has populated Africa and India is likely to have come from one or a few introductions of the plant some 300 years ago by Portuguese sailors who brought it from Central America, the center of origin for this species of Jatropha. These introductions were typically made based on the plant’s purported medicinal qualities and its ability to grow well as a hedge crop, not on its productivity as an energy crop.

Most early investments in Jatropha focused not on the genetic improvement of the crop, but rather on the planting of cultivars that had not gone through an extensive domestication program. Early growers of Jatropha have been disappointed in yields, because no attention was made to proper germplasm selection or proper agronomic trials. More than three years ago, SG Biofuels recognized this mistake and chose to focus on the genetic improvement of the crop. A crop improvement program is a necessary step for the success not only of Jatropha, but any commercial-scale crop. The key foundation of such a program is an extensive and diverse library of genetic material.

Drawing from the Center of Origin – The Value of Germplasm

The center of origin for a plant represents the part of the world where one can find the greatest genetic variation. This is where evolution has had the most time to push the crop to adapt to a variety of environmental extremes. The center of origin for Jatropha is an area stretching from Southern Mexico into Central America. SG Biofuels has developed the world’s largest and most diverse library of Jatropha genetic material, including more than 6,000 accessions of J. curcas collected from the center of origin, in addition to varieties that have migrated over time to the far reaches of the world. The company’s Genetic Resource Center (GRC) includes two locations in Guatemala (one in wet conditions and one in dry) as well as facilities in San Diego, Calif., where we are using this vast array of genetic diversity to develop J. curcas cultivars that are specifically adapted to a range of growing conditions.


  • The SG Biofuels GRC contains an unprecedented array of Jatropha genetic traits including enhanced fruit yield, pest resistance, soil adaptation, improved flowering capabilities, uniformity and improved harvesting, all of which increase the profitability per acre of the crop.
  • Through a combination of traditional breeding techniques and the use of biotechnology and synthetic biology tools, our program is quickly identifying and developing the most productive, adapted strains from our library. Molecular diversity in our GRC has been assessed using SSR markers and CAPS markers.
  • The GRC includes a number of early-stage cultivars that are producing seed yields well in excess of 100 percent the yields of commercially available sources of J. curcas.
  • Our ability to test material in a range of conditions, including both wet and dry, confirms that Jatropha needs to be adapted and optimized for particular growing regions. What grows in one area will not necessary grow well in another. This reality has played a major role in Jatropha’s variable and inconsistent productivity.
  • SG Biofuels’ program is led by an industry-leading team including three members of the National Academy of Sciences, the highest honor in the field. Collectively, the team has more than 100 years experience in plant molecular biology and has published hundreds of research articles in the areas of plant molecular genetics, plant physiology, plant development and plant biotechnology, genomics and bioinformatics.

Life Technologies Corporation – Accelerating the Development Process

SG Biofuels has formed an alliance with Life Technologies Corporation, a leading provider of advanced biotechnology and synthetic biology tools. Those tools, combined with SG Biofuels’ extensive DNA library, forms the industry’s most advanced Jatropha genetic program and the ability to significantly accelerate the process of identifying and developing key traits. The partnership includes sequencing the Jatropha curcas genome, allowing for the rapid introduction of region-specific cultivars and new commercial traits targeted toward increasing yield and profitability.

The JMax Jatropha Optimization Platform

The JMax Jatropha Optimization Platform draws from more than three years of research, the world’s largest and most diverse library of DNA, an industry-leading science team and the resources of Life Technologies to overcome the initial challenges faced by Jatropha growers. The first result of the JMax platform is JMax 100, the world’s first elite cultivar optimized specifically for growing conditions in Guatemala.

The JMax platform provides growers, research agencies and plantation developers with access to the highest yielding and most profitable Jatropha in the world, the sequenced Jatropha genome and advanced biotech and synthetic biology tools to develop superior cultivars specifically optimized for their unique growing conditions. The JMax Jatropha Optimization Platform includes:

  • Establishment of a Jatropha Technology Center or “JTC” – an on-site test plantation of several thousand Jatropha accessions from the SG Biofuels germplasm library.
  • Access to the Jatropha genome sequence to accelerate the development process of specific traits.
  • Access to SG Biofuels’ plant science team to optimize the selection, breeding, and agronomic optimization program tailored to specific regional climactic and soil growing conditions.
  • A custom crop improvement program tailored to specific climatic, soil and growing conditions to optimize both the yield and profit per acre.

By using the best material and advanced biotechnology resources, JMax significantly accelerates and improves the development process and eliminates the risks associated with planting existing commercial varieties of Jatropha.

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