ALBERT

Description:    Jatropha curcas (L.) has gained popularity as a biodiesel plant to serve as an alternative fuel source and generate income to small landholders. The success of J. curcas as alternative fuel source and income generation depends on the identification of genetically divergent materials of the plant and developing superior planting stocks for farmers. This paper presents genetic diversity assessment of 40 representative accessions drawn from 90 accessions collected from ten regions of Ghana based on their seed yield performance. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis on the 40 accessions with ten primers revealed an average polymorphism of 24.99%. Genotype Genotype*Environmental biplot analysis which incorporates divergence effects due to genotype (PC1) and interactions between genotype and field parameters (PC2) was 44.7%. Hence the RAPD information indicates narrow genetic diversity among the accessions used in the study and J. curcas germplasm in Ghana. It is therefore recommended that local germplasm of J. curcas should be officially conserved and immediate efforts be made to widen the genetic base through research and introduction from other regions. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s10457-012-9488-6 Authors E. Owusu Danquah, Department of Agroforestry, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana R. Akromah, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana S. J. Quashie-Sam, Department of Agroforestry, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana W. Oduro, Department of Wildlife and Range management, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana D. Falk, Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada N. V. Thevathasan, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada A. M. Gordon, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada Journal Agroforestry Systems Online ISSN 1572-9680 Print ISSN 0167-4366