Browsing by Subject "Jatropha curcas"

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Characterization and management of Jatropha curcas L. germplasm
(2018) Senger, Elisa; Melchinger, Albrecht E.
Jatropha curcas L. (jatropha) is a perennial plant of the Euphorbiaceae family that grows in the tropics and subtropics worldwide. Jatropha is targeted to be grown in marginal environments. The seeds are used mainly for production of food products and bioenergy, amongst others. Jatropha breeding is at an early stage. The first obstacle is to generate competitive cultivars for economically feasible cultivation. Mayor breeding objectives are to increase seed yield and yield stability, to decrease production costs, and to improve product quality adapted to specific markets. Jatropha breeding needs to be optimized in several research areas, such as methods and tools for germplasm characterization and breeding techniques, while considering requirements of the agronomic management and product processing. The germplasm can be separated into two naturally occurring germplasm pools that differ in the presence of phorbol esters (PE). These chemical compounds have antinutritional effects on humans and animals and cannot be inactivated or eliminated from the plant material on an industrial scale yet. Therefore, food production is based on cultivars lacking PE, while bioenergy production is less affected from PE presence. The germplasm needs to be characterized and grouped depending on breeding objectives and strategies. Tools for identification of plants that synthesize PE exist, but bear decisive disadvantages or need to be advanced. These tools are exploited for germplasm management and food safety strategies. The objectives of this study were to i) examine the variation of relevant traits among genotypes and between germplasm pools, ii) estimate phenotypic and genotypic trait correlations, iii) investigate location effects and genotype by environment interactions, iv) investigate parental and heterotic effects of genotypes from different germplasm pools as well as the effect of the mating type on expression of relevant traits, and v) develop recommendations for implementation of the findings in jatropha breeding programs. In the first two publications, stress response was investigated. Leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD) was used as a dynamic trait that can be influenced by e.g. water stress and nutrient deficiency. Different genotypes were screened at several locations and at different time points. High genetic diversity was found not only in stress response but also in SPAD value. The fast and non-destructive method is highly promising to be applied in further screenings or stress response studies. In the second publication, genotypic differences in aluminum tolerance were found among seedlings in a greenhouse trial. The rapid test method is applicable in further screenings. However, it needs to be proven that aluminum tolerance at the seedling stage observed under greenhouse conditions is expressed also at later plant developmental stages in the field. In the consecutive three publications, several traits were assessed on seeds and seedlings to detect significant differences between genotypes and/or between germplasm pools. Such traits would be highly valuable for germplasm management. We found that random variation is a disadvantage of quantitative traits and hinders clear assignment of each experimental unit to the respective germplasm pool. Thus, qualitative traits might be favored, such as the “silver shimmer inside the seed testa” that differentiated toxic from non-toxic seeds with a low error rate. However, these results need to be validated. Another application area of the investigated traits is the identification of self-fertilized material within hybrid progeny. In our study, self-fertilized seeds could be differentiated from cross-fertilized ones in specific genotype combinations. Similarly, many seedling traits showed heterotic effects. In the sixth publication, genotype by environment interactions were investigated and recommendations for breeding programs elaborated. A large set of genotypes was grown for four years at three different locations. We showed that selection at only one testing location is highly risky because cultivars with low yield stability could be selected. Therefore, it is indispensable for breeders to work in a network of testing locations that differ in edapho-climatic conditions and apply appropriate experimental designs and statistical tools. In the final publication, several parameters related to the nutritional value of kernels of non-toxic genotypes grown at two locations were assessed. The high nutritional value of this material was presented and compared to soybean, peanut, hazelnut, and corn. Furthermore, preliminary conclusions related to location effects and product processing were drawn. The findings of this thesis contribute to characterization of this novel crop with regard to stress tolerances, seed and seedling characteristics as well as food quality, and help to increase breeding efficiency by presenting simple methods for fast genotype screening as well as grouping of germplasm and by efficient exploitation of testing facilities.
Evaluation of suitability of non-toxic and detoxified Jatropha curcas L. meal as feed for fingerling common carp, Cyprinus carpio L., with reference to phytase application
(2012) Richter, Nahid; Becker, Klaus
Jatropha curcas L. is a hardy plant which can thrive on marginal degraded lands. Jatropha seeds contain about 300-350g kg-1 oil, which is used as fuel or in transesterified form as a substitute for diesel; they also have considerable protein quality. However, Jatropha contains antinutrients such as lectins, trypsin inhibitors and phytic acids at high levels and in toxic varities phorbolesters cause detrimental effect. Common carp fed heat-treated non-toxic Jatropha meal (JM) has been shown to have higher weight gain and protein efficiency ratio than those fish fed untreated JM. However, these parameters were significantly lower in the aforementioned trial when compared to fish fed a fish meal (FM) based diet. Reduced growth performance in fish fed non-toxic JM might be attributable to the deficiency of some essential amino acids such as lysine, to high levels of phytic acids or the presence of antinutrients. These may indicate the need for additional processing of JM for common carp. This work was therefore conducted to test various ways of further improving the nutritional quality of JM to increase the levels of inclusion in diets for common carp. In the first experiment, four diets based on 50% replacement of FM with defatted non-toxic JM were formulated, one with no further JM treatment, the second with 80% aqueous ethanol extraction before diet formulation, the third supplemented with 1% L-lysine and the fourth with 500 FTU phytase (5000G, Natuphos). These were compared to a standard, FM based diet. The results showed that diets with 500 FTU/kg phytase or 1% L-lysine could maintain common carp?s growth performance at a level comparable to fish fed a FM diet. Fish fed diets containing JM and ethanol treated JM had significantly lower growth performance than the control. The addition of 1% L-lysine or 500 FTU phytase enhanced percent body weight gain, food conversion efficiency and specific growth rate to a level comparable to those of the control. Furthermore, the addition of 500 FTU phytase significantly increased whole body Mg, P and K to the levels of those fish fed Diet Control. When the level of JM replacement was increased from 50% to 75% while at the same time supplementing the diets with inorganic phosphorus (Experiment 2), however, a significant decrease in body weight gain of common carp was observed both with and without 500 FTU phytase. In a third experiment, the effect of JM diets with added phytase but without phosphorous supplementation was therefore investigated in more detail. At the end of the eight week trial, phytase supplementation had not affected body mass gain (BMG), food conversion ratio (FCR) and specific growth rate (SGR) of fish. However, whole body phosphorous (P), P gain and P retention were significantly improved in fish fed JM with phytase supplementation when this was compared to the fish fed JM without phytase. Moreover, fish fed JM diets indicated higher O2 consumption per gramme body mass gain than carp fed FM diets. Energy expenditure per gramme protein retained was significantly higher for fish fed JM with or without phytase addition, indicating that the utilisation of JM was associated with higher energy costs for the fish. In the final experiment, the nutritional quality of non-toxic JM was compared to that of the toxic variety once appropriate measures had been taken to detoxify the latter. FM was replaced with either of the two at 75% of total dietary protein, for each Jatropha variety once without further supplementation and once supplemented with 500 FTU phytase and 1% lysine. The results of this experiment indicated that there was no significant differences in final body mass (FBM), % BMG, feed intake (FI), FCR and specific growth rate (SGR) of fish fed diets Control and non-toxic, supplemented JM. However, fish fed diets based on detoxified or non-toxic, unsupplemented Jatropha showed significantly inferior growth parameters when compared to carp fed the first two diets (p<0.05). Whole body P was significantly higher in fish fed the Control and non-toxic JM diets (with/without phytase and lysine) than fish fed either of the two detoxified JM diets (p<0.05). The depressed growth performance in the group fed detoxified JM could imply that the detoxification process was not complete and traces of phorbolesters may still be present in the diets. This work has shown that, given proper treatment, JM can act as a suitable replacement for FM at high levels in diets for common carp. The results of this work suggest that phytase addition to enhance phosphorous availability and lysine supplementation to correct the essential amino acid imbalance are two factors that have significant effects in improving JM suitability for common carp.
Jatropha meal and protein isolate as a protein source in aquafeed
(2011) Kumar, Vikas; Becker, Klaus
As aquaculture continues to develop, there will be an increasing need to use alternative plant proteins in aquaculture diets so that aqua eco-systems will be sustainable. Jatropha (DJKM, H-JPKM and DJPI) can be used as protein rich sources in the diets of fish and shrimp. There is a high potential for the safe use of DJKM, H-JPKM and DJPI in diets for fish and shrimp without compromising performance, provided that these ingredients are free of toxic factors. The detoxification process developed in Hohenheim is simple and robust and produces products that are safe and of good quality. Their addition to fish and shrimp diets gave excellent performance responses without any ill effects on animal health or safety. Effects on growth and nutrient utilization: ? Detoxified Jatropha kernel meal, H-JPKM and DJPI could replace 50%, 62.5% and 75% fish meal protein respectively without compromising growth performance and nutrient utilization in fish. In addition, DJKM could also replace 50% fish meal protein with no adverse effects on growth and nutrient utilization in shrimp. If the replacement levels are exceeded, the producer must examine the nutrient profile of the feeds carefully to ensure that desired production levels can be achieved and fish and shrimp health maintained. ? High inclusion (>50% fish meal protein replacement) of DJKM decreased the efficiency of conversion of feed to body mass. This could be explained partly by the increased mean feed intake which was possibly a reaction to the reduced protein retention, measured as protein efficiency ratio and protein productive value. No such effects were seen with the use of DJPI in common carp diets. ? Increased DJKM inclusion in diets caused a significant lowering of protein, lipid and energy digestibilities. No such effects were seen when DJPI was used in common carp diets. Effects on energy budget: ? Feeding DJKM and H-JPKM to common carp and Nile tilapia respectively did not change the major components of the energy budget (routine metabolic rate, heat released and metabolisable energy) compared to fish meal and soybean meal fed groups. These results revealed that dietary protein sources DJKM and H-JPKM can be efficiently utilized for growth by common carp and Nile tilapia respectively, as well as soybean meal and fish meal. Effects on expression of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 encoding genes ? As the level of DJKM inclusion increased in the common carp diet, growth rate decreased. The expression of Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in liver also decreased with increase of DJKM in the diet and that of the growth hormone in liver decreased. Effects on clinical health parameters and gut health: ? No mortality and unaffected haematological values suggested the fish were all in normal health. Alkaline phosphatase and ALT activities; urea nitrogen, bilirubin and creatinine concentration in blood were in the normal ranges which showed that there was no liver or kidney dysfunction. ? The measured plasma nutrient levels gave no indications of stress, but increasing the level of plant protein in the diet decreased plasma cholesterol. This may be related to high NSP content or reduced dietary intake of cholesterol. Decrease in muscle cholesterol level is also expected which could be considered good for human health. ? Histopathological evaluation of organs showed no damage to the stomach, intestine or liver of common carp or rainbow trout. Effects of Jatropha-phytate in Nile tilapia The defatted Jatropha kernel meal obtained after oil extraction is rich in protein (58−66%) and phytate (9 −11%). The phytate rich fraction was isolated from defatted kernel meal using organic solvents (acetone and carbon tetrachloride). It had 66% phytate and 22% crude protein and its inclusion in fish diets showed the following: ? Negative effects on growth performance, nutrient utilization and digestive physiology (nutrient digestibility and digestive enzymes). ? Adverse influences on biochemical entities such as metabolic enzymes (alkaline phosphatase and alanine transaminase) and electrolytes/metabolites. Salient changes include decreased red blood cell count and hematocrit content, decreased cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in plasma and decreased blood glucose levels. The adverse effects observed may be due to the interaction of phytate with minerals and enzymes in the gastro intestinal tract, resulting in poor bioavailability of minerals and lower nutrient digestibility. The level of phytate used in the present study (1.5 and 3.0%) corresponds to 16.5% and 33.0% of DJKM in the fish diet. The DJKM at levels > 16.5% in the diet would exhibit adverse effects in Nile tilapia. Addition of phytase to the phytate containing diets would mitigate the adverse effects of at least up to 3% Jatropha phytate (or 33% DJKM) in the diet. Addition of phytase (1500 FTU/kg) in diets containing DJKM is recommended to maximize their utilization by Nile tilapia.