Plantation 

 India a rightly or wrongly but has adopted and chosen the bio diesel source from Jatropha. Jatropha curcas has the tremendous potential to become the India’s Key energy crop for bio-diesel .The oil derived from jatropha seeds has been reported as future petroleum subsititute. It can be cultivated in arid and semi–arid climatic condition, thrives well on stony, gravelly or shallow and even on calcareous soil.The tree is hardly, drought resistant and is not browsed by cattles . It is highly pest and disease resistant. It grows successfully on degraded, marginal and waste land with the life span of 40 years The seeds of jatropha contains 30-40 % oil .The crude oil put through in a process to refine called trans –esrification 

Bio-diesel from Jatropha are similar to the Bio-diesel produced from rape seed oil which could be used in any automobile. Brand which has been approved for its use by the manufacturers without any modification to use engine or accessories

Jatropha Bio-diesel is better for automobiles - Why ?

1- Higher octane number indicates potential for higher engine performance.

2- Better fuel consumption compared to petrol-diesel.

3-Superior lubricating properties.

4- Higher flash point for safer storage.

5- No sulphur or aromatic substances.

6- Higher oxygen content ( upto 10% )        

Bio-diesel reduces emission of particulate matter by 40%, unburned hydrocarbons by 68%, carbon monoxide by 44%, sulphates by 100%, Poly cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by 80%, carcinogenic nitrated by 90% on an average bio-diesel complements the working of the catalyst and can help a current Euro - I motor car to attain Euro - II standards

The keyfactors that can influence the oil yield of Jatropha Curcas are:

Climate

Can withstand severe heat. Likes heating and doing well in warmer areas. When cold will drop its leaves. It can withstand light frost but not for prolonged periods. The older the tree the better it will withstand. Black frost will almost certainly kill young plants and severely damage older plants

Quality of the soil

Best in sandy well-drained soils. Can withstand very poor soils and grow in saline conditions All the actors in the Jatropha sector suggest, anyway, using organic fertilizer in order to obtain higher yield

Irrigation

It handles dryness very well and it is possible to live almost entirely of humidity in the air. - See Cape Verde where rainfall is as low as 250 mm a year. Differences are expressed in what is optimum rainfall as some readings say 600 mm and some say 800 mm whilst some areas in India report good crops with rainfall of 1380 mm. Under irrigation 1 500 mm is given.

500 - 600 mm of rainfall is the limit. Below it the production depends on the local water condition in the ground. It will also stand for long periods without water - up to 2 years – and then grow again when rains occur again

6- Biodiesel is considered a fuel so if you plan to use it in a vehicle for on-road use, it may be subject to taxes. Check with your state and federal taxing agencies if in question