A new variety of the jatropha curcas plant that is capable of yielding more oil will be seen benefiting the world really soon. SG Biofuels unveiled a proprietary variety of the plant on Monday. The company claims that this new variety will yield more oil at a more profitable rate. The newly launched JMax 100 has attributes that make it optimal for harvesting in Guatemala and is capable of producing 100 percent more oil than existing jatropha varieties.
JMax 100 is expected to produce more than 350 gallons per acre at $1.39 per gallon, meaning it will be more than 300 percent more profitable than current commercial varieties. After a good three years of research and access to the company’s Genetic Resource Center, which features 6,000 entries, the cultivar was created. SG is also working with the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center to develop another customized cultivar.
Via: LA Times