The MVU Biodiesel Project

Jatropha Curcas Trials

The establishment of Jatropha Curcas plantations is an emerging technology around the world. So, while there is an abundance of experiential results, actual quantifiable data is rare. Opinions vary on what techniques will create the highest yielding and most successful crops.

Planting techniques are varied and the yield of the harvest will depend on the way in which the crop is planned, planted, and maintained.

Research has been underway in multiple locations around the world which has produced the verifiable results needed to establish a successful Jatropha Curcas plantation. Part of this project involved affiliating with international growers, organisations, and researchers from India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam and through their experiences and results, compiling best practices for crop planting, maintenance, and harvesting.

The MVU facility was used to test many of these assumptions, as well as train MVU agricultural students in the successful techniques.