Seed Source Variation in Seed Oil Content for Jatropha curcas L. in Uttarakhand

The study examined the pattern of variation in seed oil content of Jatropha curcas L. at two hierarchical levels, namely, population and tree. A total of 97 trees belonging to 10 representative populations in Uttarakhand were evaluated for oil content on seed weight basis. Significant variation was found among populations as well as among trees within population for this trait. Among populations, the maximum seed oil content was recorded in Belkhet (38.13%) which was on par with Saknidhar and Kothagi Bhatwari. The minimum content was observed in Kakkartala (32.87%). Among the trees, the maximum seed oil content was recorded in tree six of Kothagi Bhatwari (41.22%) which was on a par with 13 trees of various populations. Variance component showed that greater variation occurred among populations (75.54%) in comparison with among trees within population (19.80%). The repeatability for the trait was very high for population as well as tree, that is, 0.755 and 0.810, respectively. It was inferred that selection of superior populations and trees on oil content basis will effectively lead to genetic improvement of J. curcas for this trait.