Jatropha Curcas : a bio diesel plant in reclamation of silica mining area

A silica mining area ,in Vindhayn hills of Allahabad District in Uttar Pradesh, India, is severely degraded due to open cast silica mining. This continuous process of opencast mining has scarred the landscape, disrupted ecosystems and destroyed microbial communities of the area. Apart from these unsightly impacts, the degraded environments created in the aftermath of opencast mining often cannot support biomass development. Over the long term, opencast mining reduces forest productivity, damages aquatic and atmospheric ecosystems and sometimes leads to substantial alterations in microclimates. Such changes, in turn, carry adverse economic and social impacts for nearby communities whose residents depend on the region’s natural resources for large portions of their incomes. Therefore there is an urgent need to reclaim these abandoned areas by using such plants, which can easily establish themselves in such adverse conditions and also support the economy of the local people. Jatropha curcas has been found most suitable for the purpose, especially due to the use of its seed oil as bio diesel and its resistant nature. It can be grown on such lands, which are largely unproductive for the time being, and are located in poverty stricken areas. The present study is on the performance of different provenances of Jatropha in silica mining area of Vindhayn hills, India. For this, total twenty-three provenances were collected from different parts of India. Their seedlings were raised in nursery. The growth performance of these provenances of Jatropha was recorded in nursery. After that, the field trial of these seedlings was carried out in the silica mining area. The growth performance was recorded. The provenance with best performance may further be recommended for the reclamation of such areas under similar agro climatic conditions and through Jatropha plantations, three major objectives, viz. wasteland reclamation, production of eco-friendly bio fuel, and socio-economic development of degraded areas can be achieved simultaneously.Non UBCUnreviewedOthe