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Journal of Plant Sciences

Year: 2008 | Volume: 3 | Issue: 4 | Page No.: 260-265
DOI: 10.3923/jps.2008.260.265
Variations in Seed Number per Fruit, Seed Physical Parameters and Contents of Oil, Protein and Phorbol Ester in Toxic and Non-Toxic Genotypes of Jatropha curcas
Harinder P.S. Makkar, J. Martinez-Herrera and Klaus Becker

Abstract: Aims of this research are to provide quantitative information on the variation in number of seeds per fruit and physical parameters and chemical composition of seeds and to compare these parameters between toxic and non-toxic genotypes. The fruits contained one, two, three and four seeds and the percentages of such seeds for the toxic genotype were 14.6, 25.7, 52.0 and 7.6%, respectively and these values for the non-toxic genotype were 8.1, 23.4, 58.3 and 10.2%. Within a genotype, these values differed significantly (p<0.05); however between genotypes the percentage of fruits containing only one seed was significantly lower. The seed, shell and kernel mass, oil content of seeds and kernels and protein content of kernel and seed did not differ amongst the four seed groups, both for the toxic and non-toxic genotypes. However, seed and shell mass of toxic genotype were significantly higher than those of non-toxic genotype. The contents of phorbol esters in oil and seed meal did differ significantly amongst the four seed groups for the toxic genotype and these esters were negligible in the non-toxic genotypes.

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How to cite this article
Harinder P.S. Makkar, J. Martinez-Herrera and Klaus Becker, 2008. Variations in Seed Number per Fruit, Seed Physical Parameters and Contents of Oil, Protein and Phorbol Ester in Toxic and Non-Toxic Genotypes of Jatropha curcas. Journal of Plant Sciences, 3: 260-265.

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