Abstract
The development of the <i>Jatropha</i> sector is limited by the lack of adequate plant genetic resources and data on local genotypes. However, knowledge of the characteristics of local accessions can help to identify suitable genotypes and/or identify varietal improvement paths for sustainable biofuel production. In order to characterize the local genotypes of <i>Jatropha curcas</i> in Burkina Faso, seeds of a collection from 40 plantations of the different climatic zones of the country were used to assess the accessions resistance to fungal pathogens, seeds oil and germination and molecular diversity. The results revealed a high variability in accessions resistance to fungal pathogens, seeds oil content and germination depending on the accessions. These variations of seeds oil content, seeds germination capacity and accessions resistance to fungal pathogens could been explained by genetic factors. This hypothesis is confirmed by genetic parameters which showed a strong heritability of the studied characters. Indeed, outside the diameter of the necrosis, the study exhibited high phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation and high heritability in broad sense. The study also revealed positive correlations between resistance parameters and seed oil content on the one hand and between these parameters and germination capacity on the other hand. There are good opportunities to improve accessions resistance to pathogens, seeds oil content and germination capacity. However, the evaluation of molecular diversity based on 20 microsatellites markers showed low genetic diversity. The high phenotypic variability observed in seed traits and resistance of accessions contrasts with a low level of genetic diversity of accessions. This study constitutes an important contribution to the characterization of local genotypes in order to identify the best genotypes for improvement of seeds traits and accessions resistance to fungi in a breeding program.
Highlights
In tropical and subtropical countries, Jatropha curcas is used as a biofuel crop
These seeds were collected from J. curcas plants at least 5 years old and were used to investigate seeds oil content and germination capacity, to sow Jatropha seeds in a greenhouse in order to study the resistance of accessions to fungal pathogens and to assess their molecular diversity
The results showed that seeds oil content and germination capacity varied significantly among the accessions
Summary
In tropical and subtropical countries, Jatropha curcas is used as a biofuel crop. Among the oil-bearing tree species [1, 2], Jatropha curcas is sought because of its drought hardiness, rapid growth, easy propagation, low cost of seeds, high oil content, small gestation period, wide adaptation, good production on rich and degraded soils and the optimum plant size that makes the seeds collection more convenient [1, 3]. Introduction of J. curcas for various purposes has had limited success due to pests and diseases, unreliable seed and oil yields and low economic returns [4, 5]. International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management 2020; 5(3): 129-138 a major challenge. It is propagated normally through seeds or vegetative cuttings. The seed yields, accessions resistance to pathogens and seed oil content are variable and generally weak, reducing its economic potential and making its cultivation a risk business [1]
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