Improving the tolerance of <i>Jatropha curcas</i> L. plants to abiotic stresses.
2014
Garcia-Almodovar, C. | Gimeno, V. | Nieves, M. | Diaz-Lopez, L. | Simon, I. | Garcia-Sanchez, F.
<i>Jatropha curcas</i> has gained widespread attention as a new-age 'energy crop' because the biodiesel that can be produced from the oil of their fruits has properties comparable with those of fossil fuels. Abiotic stresses have become an integral part of crop production. Although <i>J. curcas</i> has been considered a drought-resistant plant and can survive in marginal land, its productivity in areas suffering from adverse environmental conditions could not hitherto be commercially exploited to satisfactory levels. Understanding the mechanisms of <i>J. curcas</i>'s responses to environmental stresses is crucial for improving its stress tolerance and productivity. In this context, in recent years, researchers have directed their particular attention to studying the physiological, morphological, and biochemical responses of this plant to abiotic stresses. <i>J. curcas</i> plants are endowed with a high tolerance to conditions of drought and heat, moderate tolerance to salinity and heavy metals, but very low tolerance to low temperatures. Although agronomic strategies to increase abiotic stress tolerance have scarcely been assayed, nitrogen fertilization, plant growth-promoting <i>rhizobacterium</i>, sprayed ascorbic acid, or compost and biosludge soil application have been used successfully in increasing the growth rate under some abiotic stress conditions. Molecular biologists, through <i>J. curcas</i>'s transgenic experiments have also improved their abiotic stress tolerance. This paper revises up to date the physiological response of <i>J. curcas</i> under the major yield-limiting abiotic stresses faced by crop plants: drought, salinity, cold, heat, and heavy metal toxicity, and reports the main approaches that are being applied in these plants to increase their abiotic stress tolerance.
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