Germplasm, Breeding & Agronomics

The foundation of any crop improvement program is an extensive and diverse library of genetic material. SG Biofuels has developed and curated the world's largest and most diverse collection of Jatropha germplasm, including more than 12,000 accessions of Jatropha curcas collected from the center of origin of the species, Central America.

The center of origin constitutes the region of the world with the greatest genetic variation; evolutionary pressures have had the longest time to select, adapt and evolve species at their center of origin. Preliminary molecular marker studies suggest that SG Biofuels' Jatropha germplasm collection contains on the order of 5 times the genetic diversity observed in a collection of Jatropha from India, Africa, and Asia (Basha et al 2009).

Breeding

At SG Biofuels, intensive selection and breeding programs are identifying and developing the most productive, regionally adapted strains from our germplasm collection. Through outcrosses to combine important traits and inbreeding to improve uniformity, considerable advancements have already been achieved, including the development of JMax 100™, our first elite cultivar optimized for Guatemala with projected yields of 100 percent greater than existing varieties.

Through hands-on experience in agronomic field trials, SG Biofuels is focusing on a range of issues related to input cost reduction and increased profitability. Our breeders and agronomists are addressing issues related to plagues and diseases through the development of pest and pathogen resistant plants and improvements in molecular agronomy that take into account soil structure and nutritional factors. In addition, we are exploring the use of plant-growth promoting micro-organisms to improve nutrient assimilation and combat bacterial and fungal pathogens.

Harvesting efficiencies are also being addressed through biological improvements – most notably advancements toward improved flowering and branching habits which will enable implementation of automated harvesting systems.

The Value of Hybrids & Hybrid Seed Production

Historically, the rapid deployment of successful commercial row crops has been fueled by the ability to cost-effectively produce large volumes of hybrid seeds. Germplasm diversity is the fundamental requirement of a successful breeding program, and SG Biofuels' library provides an unprecedented variety of traits with which to generate hybrid crosses, including enhanced fruit yield, optimized branching structure, pest resistance, soil adaptation and improved flowering capabilities. Hybrid vigor, or heterosis, occurs when crossing two genetically unrelated inbred parents with desirable traits to create a hybrid. Such vigor improves grower's profitability while eliminating variability and inconsistencies. Simply put, hybrid plants are stronger and more robust than their parents.

The key to unlocking the potential of hybrid plants is the ability to mass produce large volumes of consistent hybrid seeds with vigor and uniformity that surpasses that of either inbred parent. Following more than three years of research, scientists at SG Biofuels have developed proprietary technology for the production of hybrid Jatropha seeds.

Hybrid seed production requires 1/50th the land needed to produce clonal plants by vegetative propagation, with the added benefits of hybrid vigor, strong tap roots and overall improved plant health,all at a fraction of the cost of tissue culture or other methods. For example, using SG Biofuels' hybrid seed technology, a 10 hectare production plot can produce seeds sufficient to plant 22,000 hectares (43 million seeds) while vegetative propagation via traditional cuttings would require 500 hectares of land to achieve the same number. Hybrid seed production will:

• Quickly scale large Jatropha plantations with consistent, high yielding hybrid Jatropha.
  
• Significantly reduce production and deployment costs to a fraction that required under other propagation techniques.
  
• Facilitate production of the large volumes of low-cost crude Jatropha oil required by major energy, oil and transportation consumers.