































Highlights in BioScience
ISSN:2682-4043
DOI:10.36462/H.BioSci.202106

Research Article

Open Access

1 Genetics and Plant Improvement Team, Bio-

sciences Laboratory, Doctoral School of Sci-

ences and Technologies, Joseph KI-ZERBO

University, 03 BP 7021 Ouagadougou 03, Burk-

ina Faso.
2 Chadian Institute of Agronomic Research for

Development (ITRAD), B.P. 5400, N’Djaména,

Chad.
3 Plant Ecophysiology Team, Biosciences Labo-

ratory, Doctoral School of Sciences and Tech-

nologies, Joseph KI- ZERBO University, 03 BP

7021 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso.
4 Ziniaré University Center, Joseph KI- ZERBO

University, 03 BP 7021 Ouagadougou 03,

Burkina Faso.

Contacts of authors

* To whom correspondence should be
addressed: nerbewende@yahoo.fr
Received: January 2, 2021

Accepted: March 4, 2021

Published: March 18, 2021

Citation: Tiendrébéogo KF, Sawadogo N, Gapili
N, Ouédraogo MH, Ouédraogo RF, Nanema
KR, Ouoba A, Sawadogo M . Variability and
relationships between characters of physic
nut (Jatropha curcas L.) in Burkina Faso
. 2021 Mar 18;4:bs202106

Copyright: © 2021 Tiendrébéogo et al..
This is an open access article distributed under
the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribu-
tion, and reproduction in any medium, provided the
original author and source are credited.

Data Availability Statement: All relevant data are
within the paper and supplementary materials.

Funding: The authors have no support or
funding to report.

Competing interests: The authors declare
that they have no competing interests.

Variability and relationships between characters of physic nut
(Jatropha curcas L.) in Burkina Faso
Kouka Fidèle Tiendrébéogo1, Nerbéwendé Sawadogo*1, Naoura Gapili2,
Mahamadi Hamed Ouédraogo1, Razacswendé Fanta Ouédraogo3, Kiswendsida
Romaric Nanema1, Adjima Ouoba4, Mahamadou Sawadogo1

Abstract
Jatropha curcas is a highly promising species for biodiesel production in Burkina Faso

and other countries in the tropics. It is rustic, grows in warm regions and is easily culti-
vated. These characteristics and high-quality oil yields from the seeds have made it a pri-
ority for biodiesel programs. Consequently, this plant merits genetic investigations aimed
at improving yields. The present study was conducted to determine the extent of genetic
variability and relationships among 30 accessions from Burkina Faso using 7 qualitative
characters and 20 quantitative characters. For most of the traits, there were highly sig-
nificant differences among the accessions. A positive and significant correlation between
the 100-seed weight trait and the oil content trait was observed. The oil content trait is
significantly and positively influenced by growth traits such as plant height and crown di-
ameter. Based on the petiole base pigmentation, three morphotypes were identified: green
morphotype, purple morphotype and brown morphotype. The green morphotype was char-
acterized by very high oil content and high 100-seed weight while the brown morphotype
presents low oil content and low 100-seed weight. The purple morphotype registered a
high oil content and medium 100-seed weight. These results are important for the continu-
ity of breeding programs, aimed at obtaining cultivars with high grain yield and high oil
content in seeds.

Keywords: Oil content, Genetic diversity, Genetic correlation, Morphotype, Jatropha curcas,

Burkina Faso.

Introduction
Physic nut (Jaropha curcas L.) is a perennial oil plant commonly used in tropical areas as a

medicinal plant, in the construction of defensive hedges against animals and in the fight against

water erosion [1]. It is rustic, grows in warm regions and is easily cultivated. These characteristics

and high-quality oil yields from the seeds have made this plant a priority and a highly promising

species for biodiesel programs in countries in the tropics [2]. It produces seeds rich in oil which can

be used pure after filtration as fuel in diesel engines with indirect injection or serve as raw material

for the production of biodiesel by transesterification [3, 4]. [5] highlighted the economic interest of

the use of oil of this species for the poor countries, in particular tropical Africa and Asia. Indeed, J.

curcas provides various products that contribute to poverty reduction, in particular the promotion of

income-generating activities mainly for women such as sale of seeds and soap and the valuation of oil

cakes as organic fertilizers. It is an opportunity for developing countries to improve farmers' incomes

and even stimulate the rural economy [6]. However, in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa, the

establishment of plantations preceded the conduct of agronomic research essential for the sustainable

exploitation of the plant. As a result, plant development has been poor and yields obtained during

the first years of cultivation have generally been disappointing [7]. Consequently, this species merits

genetic investigations aimed at improving yields [2]. So, the viability of the J. curcas-based biodiesel

sector is essentially based on highly productive and oil-rich J. curcas genotypes [6].

Highlights in BioScience Page 1 of 11 March 2021|Volume 4

https://doi.org/10.36462/H.BioSci.202106
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0448-4239
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0136-8408
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6415-8745
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3037-8624
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4241-4696
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8913-1012
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6456-2297
http://bioscience.highlightsin.org/


Tiendrébéogo et al., 2021 Variability and relationships between characters of physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.)

Despite strong recommendations for improvement of J. cur-
cas for intensive production, a very little references exist on the
genetic characteristics of the plant, the level of productivity of
J. curcas in relation to its genetic potential and the cultivation
techniques [6]. Indeed, J. curcas is still essentially a wild plant
which must be the object of genetic improvement and domesti-
cation for its popularization and vaolrization [8, 9]. In Burkina
Faso, the genetic diversity of the species remains still poorly
known [10-13]. Thus, within the framework of the promotion of
the neglected or under-exploited local species, this study was ini-
tiated in order to contribute to a better knowledge the genetic di-
versity and the relationships between agro-morphological traits
and seeds oil content of J. curcas.

Material and methods
Plant material

The plant material consisted of 30 elite accessions selected
by [11] based on the morpho-metric characteristics of the fruits
as well as the oil content of the seeds. In this study, an acces-
sion is a set of seeds, from natural pollination, harvested from
the same tree during prospecting. The seeds were stored at labo-
ratory temperature without any prior chemical treatment.

Experimental site
The agro-morphological characterization was carried out on

a plantation installed in the experimental station of the Institute
for Rural Development (IDR) of Gampela at 1°21'0.9'' West lon-
gitude, 12°24'10.7'' North latitude and 924 m altitude. The sta-
tion is characterized by very heterogeneous, deep soils, of low
physicochemical fertility and a predominantly sandy-clay tex-
ture [14]. The climate of the zone is of the sudano-sahelian type
characterized by the alternation of two seasons, namely a rainy
season which extends from june to october and a dry season from
november to may [15]. The annual rainfall recorded in the sta-
tion during the experimentation varied between 728 and 984.8
mm. Average air temperatures during the rainy months range
between 35° C and 40° C for the maximums and between 18° C
and 19° C for the minimums [15].

Experimental design
The experimental design used is a completely random exper-

iment plan consisting of 30 elementary plots of 8 m x 8 m. Each
elementary plot contains 9 plants arranged in three lines of 8 m
in length each. The spacing between the lines was 4 m. Each line
includes three plants with a spacing of 4 m. The aisles between
the elementary plots were also 4 m.

Characters studied
Qualitative characters

Based on the work of [16], seven qualitative variables were
chosen to characterize the phenotypic variability of the acces-
sions studied. The Table 1 presents the different characters with
their modalities.

Table 1. Modalities of qualitative traits.

Variables Modalities

Brancing pattern Basal

Intermdiate

Top

Entire

Petiole base pigmentation Green

Brown

Purple

Stem colour Green

Grey

Leaf colour Green

Light green

Dark green

Latex colour Cream

Red

Phyllotaxy Alternate

Whorled

Growth habit Shurb (< 5 m)

Tree (> 5m)

Quantitative characters
Based on the work of [17, 2, 18, 16, 6], 20 quantitative vari-

ables were chosen to characterize the genetic diversity of J. cur-
cas five years after planting. These parameters were measured
on three plants sampled by accession. These are first of all the pa-
rameters linked to the vegetative development of the trees, mea-
sured three months after the appearance of the first leaves. Those
are:

• The dendrometric characters of trees such as plant height
(PH) measured from the base to the apex of the main stem,
crown diameter (CD) measured between both ends of the
plant, stem diameter (SD) measured at the collar using a
tape measure (SD = collar circumference / π) and number
of main branches (NB) evaluated by counting the branches
coming out from the trunk .

• The characters linked to the dimensions of the leaves mea-
sured on three fresh leaves, fully developed and not par-
asitized, per individual: these were the width of the leaf
(WL) measured between the two ends of the leaf, the length
of the leaf (LL) measured from the petiole to the tip of the
leaf and the length of the petiole (LP) measured from the
insertion of the stem to the insertion of the leaf.

The traits linked to the productivity of the accessions such
as fruits weight (FRW), seeds weight (SEW) and pulps weight
(PUW) per accession were also evaluated at the ripe and dry fruit
stage using an electric scale. Moreover, others traits relative to
the fruits were measured. They are the average length of the fruit
(ALF), the average diameter of the fruit (ADF) evaluated using
a digital caliper, the average weight of the fruit (AWF) and the
average weight of the pulp (AWP) determined using an electric

Highlights in BioScience Page 2 of 11 March 2021|Volume 4

http://bioscience.highlightsin.org/


Tiendrébéogo et al., 2021 Variability and relationships between characters of physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.)

scale on ten fruits. The average number of seeds per fruit (ANS)
was determined by counting.

As concerning the seeds, the characters measured were the
100-seed weight (SW100) determined by weighing a random
sample of 100 seeds of each mother plant using an electric scale,
the average length of the seed (ALS), the average width of the
seed (AWS) and the average thickness of the seed (ATS) mea-
sured with a digital caliper on ten seeds. The seeds oil content
(OIL) was determined by the soxhlet extraction method using
hexane as the solvent [19]. [16] proposed a descriptor with four
classes based on the seeds oil content character in relation with
the weight of the seed: low (0-20%), medium (21-30%), High
(31-40%) and very high (> 40%).

Data analysis
The data collected were analyzed with XLSTAT 2020.3.1.11

software. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and of Student New-
man Keuls means separation test at α=5% were carried out in
order to compare accessions. Pearson’s R coefficient was used
to measure correlations between quantitative traits while the rela-
tionships between discriminate qualitative and quantitative traits
were determined through multiple correspondence analysis (MCA).
Indeed, the quantitative traits have been previously transformed
into qualitative traits according to the classes obtained in the Stu-
dent Newman Keuls means separation test.

Results
Analysis of the phenotypic variability of J. curcas using qualitative
variables

The results recorded in Table 2 showed that all the accessions
studied had green stems and green leaves, a cream-colored latex
and alternate leaves. However, two characters presented variabil-
ity. Thus, the majority of plants (70%) had a basal branching pat-
tern while a minority (30%) revealed an intermediate branching
pattern (Figure 1). The petiole base expressed several pigmen-
tation color (Figure 2): green (33.33%), brown (13.33%) and
mostly purple (53.34%).

Analysis of the phenotypic variability of J. curcas using
quantitative variables

The results of the significance of the means separation test
of Newman Keuls were performed with vegetative development
parameters (Table 3), fruit parameters (Table 4) and seeds param-
eters (Table 5). Most of the vegetative development parameters
and seeds traits significantly discriminate the accessions studied
except the length of the petiole (LP), the average length of the
seed (ALS) and seeds weight per accession (SEW). For the fruit
traits, only three of the seven measured characters, precisely the
average length of the fruit (ALF), the average weight of the fruit
(AWF) and the average weight of the pulp (AWP) showed vari-
ability. Based on the each of three characters of interest namely
oil content (OIL), 100-seed weight (SW100) and crown diameter
(CD), three classes were obtained within accessions. Indeed, ac-
cording to the value of the character, three performance classes

Table 2. Variation in the qualitative characters of the collection of J. curcas.

Variables Modalities Frequencies (%)

Brancing pattern Basal 70

Intermdiate 30

Top 0

Entire 0

Petiole base pigmentation Green 33.33

Brown 13.33

Purple 53.34

Stem colour Green 100

Grey 0

Leaf colour Green 100

Light green 0

Dark green 0

Latex colour Cream 100

Red 0

Phyllotaxy Alternate 100

Whorled 0

Growth habit Shurb (< 5 m) 100

Tree (> 5m) 0

(low, medium, high) were registered with the 100-seed weight
trait and crown diameter, respectively. The seeds oil content
character showed also three performance classes which ranged
medium, high and very high according to the descriptor classes.

Relationships between characters
Correlation between characters

The correlation of Pearson (Table 6) showed positive and
significant correlations at the 5% and 1% threshold between the
characters studied. Thus, the character oil content was positively
correlated with the characters 100-seed weight (r = 0.253), plant
height (r = 0.344) and crown diameter (r = 0.260). The 100-
seed weight character was positively correlated with the charac-
ters linked to vegetative development such as plant height (r =
0.522), crown diameter (r = 0.443) and length of the petiole (r =
0.272). Furthermore, the crown diameter character is positively
correlated with all the other characters studied. These different
correlations indicate that plants with significant vegetative devel-
opment produce seeds of high weight and high oil content. The
characters linked to the yield (FRW, SEW and PUW) are posi-
tively correlated with the characters relating to the scale of the
plant (PH, SD and CD). So, large-scale plants have also high
productive potential. Furthermore, the characters of the seeds
(ALS, AWS and ATS) are positively influenced each other.

Association between characters
The results of multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) reco-

rded in Figure 3 showed three associations of the characters. On
the plan formed by axes 1 and 2 with 45.41% of the total in-
ertia, the F1 axis (23.14% of total inertia) opposed two groups
of variables precisely group 1 and group 3. Group 1 combined
the characters very high seed oil content (> 40%), intermediate

Highlights in BioScience Page 3 of 11 March 2021|Volume 4

http://bioscience.highlightsin.org/


Tiendrébéogo et al., 2021 Variability and relationships between characters of physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.)

Figure 1. Branching pattern of J. curcas. A: Basal (70%), B: Intermediate (30%).

Figure 2. Petiole base pigmentation of J. curcas A: Green (33.33%), B: Brown (13.33%), C: Purple (53.34%)

Highlights in BioScience Page 4 of 11 March 2021|Volume 4

http://bioscience.highlightsin.org/


Tiendrébéogo et al., 2021 Variability and relationships between characters of physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.)

Table 3. Results of Newman Keuls'means separation test on vegetative development parameters.

Accession PH (m) SD (cm) CD (m) NB WL (cm) LL (cm) LP (cm)

1 2.450 bcde 9.076 b 2.650 abc 4.000 b 16.295 abc 14.365 abc 20.165 a

2 1.977 cde 15.711 ab 2.733 abc 6.333 ab 15.130 abc 14.127 abc 17.197 a

3 2.600 bcd 12.527 ab 3.100 abc 5.667 ab 15.040 bc 13.477 abc 17.007 a

4 2.747 b 13.896 ab 3.717 ab 6.000 ab 17.207 abc 15.497 abc 18.997 a

5 2.490 bcde 15.977 ab 3.467 abc 6.000 ab 14.410 c 13.930 abc 17.167 a

6 2.150 bcde 13.694 ab 3.350 abc 5.500 ab 15.545 abc 13.545 abc 18.430 a

7 2.033 bcde 13.694 ab 3.000 abc 5.000 ab 17.477 abc 14.720 abc 16.983 a

8 2.567 bcd 13.907 ab 3.133 abc 5.000 ab 18.850 ab 16.687 a 18.430 a

9 2.567 bcd 14.756 ab 3.150 abc 5.667 ab 18.463 ab 15.710 abc 19.820 a

10 2.383 bcde 12.909 ab 3.000 abc 5.667 ab 16.597 abc 14.797 abc 16.943 a

11 2.017 bcde 12.707 ab 2.857 abc 7.667 ab 16.333 abc 14.043 abc 16.863 a

12 3.225 a 13.854 ab 3.500 abc 9.000 a 18.415 ab 15.930 ab 19.195 a

13 2.100 bcde 12.739 ab 2.800 abc 5.000 ab 14.895 bc 12.460 c 14.945 a

14 2.233 bcde 14.862 ab 3.150 abc 6.000 ab 17.283 abc 14.997 abc 16.710 a

15 2.017 bcde 15.287 ab 2.733 abc 8.000 ab 16.763 abc 14.517 abc 15.467 a

16 2.047 bcde 15.287 ab 2.900 abc 5.333 ab 16.177 abc 13.410 abc 16.310 a

17 2.227 bcde 13.163 ab 3.167 abc 4.667 ab 16.553 abc 14.483 abc 18.073 a

18 2.275 bcde 15.287 ab 3.450 abc 8.000 ab 16.350 abc 15.015 abc 18.795 a

19 2.683 bc 13.376 ab 4.000 a 6.333 ab 18.997 a 16.630 a 19.553 a

20 2.340 bcde 13.641 ab 3.400 abc 4.333 ab 16.693 abc 14.753 abc 18.310 a

21 2.225 bcde 13.694 ab 2.900 abc 9.000 a 17.545 abc 14.910 abc 18.130 a

22 2.417 bcde 12.781 ab 2.867 abc 7.000 ab 16.910 abc 14.340 abc 17.517 a

23 1.915 de 10.987 ab 2.650 abc 4.000 b 15.530 abc 12.900 bc 13.995 a

24 1.900 de 14.411 ab 2.635 abc 7.000 ab 15.965 abc 14.130 abc 18.365 a

25 1.770 e 10.403 ab 2.100 c 5.667 ab 15.387 abc 12.683 bc 15.297 a

26 2.267 bcde 10.032 ab 2.600 abc 3.667 b 17.940 abc 15.440 abc 17.097 a

27 1.857 de 12.951 ab 2.400 bc 5.667 ab 14.953 bc 12.730 bc 14.617 a

28 2.183 bcde 16.561 ab 2.767 abc 7.000 ab 16.217 abc 13.463 abc 16.410 a

29 1.880 de 17.304 a 2.767 abc 6.000 ab 15.573 abc 13.797 abc 15.750 a

30 1.900 de 11.996 ab 2.700 abc 4.333 ab 16.420 abc 14.697 abc 16.017 a

PH: plant height, SD: stem diameter, CD: crown diameter, NB: number of main branches,

WL: width of the leaf, LL: length of the leaf, LP: length of the petiole.

The values for each class followed by the same letters are not significantly different at the 5% level.

branching of the stem, green pigmentation of the petiole base,
high 100-seed weight (≥ 62.85 g) and large crown diameter (≥
4 m) while the group 3 is formed by association between the
medium oil content (21-30%), the brown pigmentation of the
petiole base and the low 100-seed weight (≤ 36.9 g). Group 2,

correlated to axis F2 with 22.127% of total inertia, combined the
high oil content (31-40%), the basal branching of the stem, the
purple pigmentation of the petiole base, the medium 100-seed
weight (43.30-43.85 g), the medium crown diameter (2.4-3.467
m) and the small crown diameter (≤ 2.1 m).

Highlights in BioScience Page 5 of 11 March 2021|Volume 4

http://bioscience.highlightsin.org/


Tiendrébéogo et al., 2021 Variability and relationships between characters of physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.)

Table 4. Results of Newman Keuls'means separation test on fruits parameters.

Accession ALF (cm) ADF (cm) AWF (g) AWP (g) ANS FRW (g) PUW (g)

1 2.533 ab 2.110 a 2.610 ab 0.940 ab 2.550 a 158.400 a 49.900 a

2 2.265 ab 2.058 a 1.843 ab 0.790 abcd 2.500 a 207.233 a 94.867 a

3 2.425 ab 2.120 a 2.623 ab 0.920 abc 2.700 a 263.167 a 93.567 a

4 2.457 ab 2.080 a 2.460 ab 0.873 abc 2.800 a 509.200 a 189.900 a

5 2.340 ab 2.053 a 2.430 ab 0.837 abcd 2.833 a 541.667 a 211.600 a

6 2.468 ab 2.083 a 2.710 ab 1.005 a 2.950 a 816.250 a 317.450 a

7 2.383 ab 2.090 a 1.840 ab 0.670 bcd 2.200 a 136.967 a 56.733 a

8 2.478 ab 2.158 a 2.120 ab 0.757 abcd 2.467 a 163.767 a 68.467 a

9 2.535 ab 2.100 a 2.277 ab 0.837 abcd 2.667 a 463.867 a 210.133 a

10 2.425 ab 2.117 a 2.143 ab 0.720 abcd 2.500 a 249.433 a 100.367 a

11 2.402 ab 2.067 a 2.300 ab 0.930 abc 2.633 a 248.233 a 114.567 a

12 2.430 ab 2.140 a 2.500 ab 0.830 abcd 2.750 a 453.500 a 168.300 a

13 2.498 ab 2.035 a 2.175 ab 0.895 abc 2.850 a 641.400 a 256.050 a

14 2.483 ab 2.078 a 2.133 ab 0.880 abc 2.567 a 433.867 a 172.033 a

15 2.130 b 1.998 a 1.417 b 0.547 d 2.367 a 174.767 a 79.533 a

16 2.567 a 2.158 a 2.773 a 0.877 abc 2.967 a 496.000 a 190.900 a

17 2.425 ab 2.045 a 2.120 ab 0.750 abcd 2.600 a 384.400 a 161.667 a

18 2.593 a 2.145 a 2.530 ab 0.770 abcd 2.850 a 834.300 a 277.150 a

19 2.395 ab 2.093 a 2.493 ab 0.750 abcd 2.967 a 774.267 a 287.667 a

20 2.397 ab 2.078 a 2.380 ab 0.750 abcd 2.833 a 836.400 a 323.800 a

21 2.420 ab 2.073 a 2.115 ab 0.660 bcd 2.750 a 158.850 a 59.700 a

22 2.393 ab 2.112 a 1.940 ab 0.733 abcd 2.533 a 162.800 a 73.567 a

23 2.460 ab 2.088 a 2.015 ab 0.670 bcd 2.600 a 99.600 a 39.100 a

24 2.330 ab 1.940 a 1.770 ab 0.607 cd 2.230 a 86.400 a 37.350 a

25 2.205 ab 1.927 a 1.627 ab 0.608 cd 2.420 a 89.200 a 39.600 a

26 2.380 ab 2.083 a 1.797 ab 0.713 abcd 2.133 a 64,933 a 29.600 a

27 2.212 ab 1.978 a 1.537 ab 0.637 bcd 2.200 a 97.867 a 49.033 a

28 2.368 ab 2.088 a 1.830 ab 0.833 abcd 2.333 a 147.533 a 71.133 a

29 2.245 ab 1.945 a 1.800 ab 0.870 abc 2.100 a 89.300 a 40.000 a

30 2.192 ab 2.043 a 1.607 ab 0.843 abcd 2.067 a 78.100 a 43.933 a

ALF: average length of the fruit, ADF: average diameter of the fruit, AWF: average weight of the fruit,

AWP: average weight of the pulp, ANS: average number of the seeds per fruit,

FRW: fruits weight per accession, PUW: pulps weight per accession.

The values for each class followed by the same letters are not significantly different at the 5% level.

Highlights in BioScience Page 6 of 11 March 2021|Volume 4

http://bioscience.highlightsin.org/


Tiendrébéogo et al., 2021 Variability and relationships between characters of physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.)

Table 5. Results of Newman Keuls'means separation test on seeds parameters.

Accession ALS (cm) AWS (cm) ATS (cm) SW100 (g) SEW (g) OIL (%)

1 1.830 a 1.120 ab 0.863 ab 56.100 ab 108.500 a 33.811 i

2 1.755 a 1.092 ab 0.835 ab 47.833 abc 112.367 a 31.160 lm

3 1.803 a 1.150 ab 0.868 a 63.350 a 169.600 a 35.897 g

4 1.833 a 1.113 ab 0.855 ab 62.850 a 319.300 a 34.663 h

5 1.753 a 1.068 b 0.818 ab 55.833 ab 330.067 a 39.286 c

6 1.845 a 1.173 a 0.853 ab 61.100 ab 498.800 a 31.309 l

7 1.813 a 1.092 ab 0.847 ab 55.600 ab 80.233 a 35.023 h

8 1.833 a 1.123 ab 0.865 ab 52.900 abc 95.300 a 32.874 j

9 1.890 a 1.068 b 0.835 ab 53.300 abc 253.733 a 37.931 e

10 1.827 a 1.098 ab 0.873 a 54.933 ab 149.067 a 35.474 g

11 1.753 a 1.130 ab 0.850 ab 54.450 ab 133.667 a 37.989 e

12 1.780 a 1.073 b 0.845 ab 63.700 a 285.200 a 37.931 e

13 1.753 a 1.065 b 0.813 ab 43.850 bc 385.350 a 32.360 k

14 1.868 a 1.060 b 0.835 ab 48.500 abc 261.833 a 40.383 b

15 1.688 a 1.063 b 0.813 ab 45.900 abc 95.233 a 31.331 l

16 1.840 a 1.118 ab 0.852 ab 58.333 ab 305.100 a 29.366 o

17 1.792 a 1.107 ab 0.825 ab 55.233 ab 222.733 a 31.577 l

18 1.813 a 1.120 ab 0.870 a 64.300 a 557.150 a 32.486 jk

19 1.832 a 1.152 ab 0.857 ab 59.200 ab 486.600 a 40.863 a

20 1.765 a 1.125 ab 0.832 ab 63.250 a 512.600 a 34.726 h

21 1.840 a 1.118 ab 0.853 ab 52.450 abc 99.150 a 30.800 mn

22 1.805 a 1.065 b 0.832 ab 64.000 a 89.233 a 32.463 jk

23 1.808 a 1.088 ab 0.828 ab 54.400 ab 60.500 a 32.760 jk

24 1.740 a 1.090 ab 0.868 ab 43.300 bc 49.050 a 30.474 n

25 1.663 a 1.070 b 0.800 b 50.200 abc 49.600 a 34.040 i

26 1.780 a 1.113 ab 0.847 ab 53.200 abc 35.333 a 36.909 f

27 1.707 a 1.065 b 0.817 ab 51.600 abc 48.833 a 38.640 d

28 1.782 a 1.060 b 0.832 ab 43.500 bc 76.400 a 31.617 l

29 1.672 a 1.067 b 0.837 ab 47.100 abc 49.300 a 35.549 g

30 1.687 a 1.112 ab 0.853 ab 36.900 c 34.167 a 28.137 p

ALS: average length of the seed, AWS: average width of the seed,

ATS: average thickness of the seed, SW100: 100-seed weight,

SEW: seeds weight per accession, OIL: seeds oil content.

The values for each class followed by the same letters are not significantly different at the 5% level.

Highlights in BioScience Page 7 of 11 March 2021|Volume 4

http://bioscience.highlightsin.org/


Tiendrébéogo et al., 2021 Variability and relationships between characters of physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.)

Ta
bl

e
6.

M
at

ri
x

of
co

rr
el

at
io

ns
be

tw
ee

n
th

e
st

ud
ie

d
ch

ar
ac

te
rs

.

V
ar

ia
bl

es
A

L
F

A
D

F
A

W
F

A
W

P
A

N
S

A
L

S
A

W
S

A
T

S
SW

10
0

O
IL

PH
SD

C
D

N
B

W
L

L
L

L
P

FR
W

SE
W

A
D

F
0.

78
7*

*

A
W

F
0.

74
5*

*
0.

62
7*

*

A
W

P
0.

58
8*

*
0.

49
3*

*
0.

70
6*

*

A
N

S
0.

59
8*

*
0.

55
0*

*
0.

83
6*

*
0.

46
9*

*

A
L

S
0.

86
0*

*
0.

78
7*

*
0.

61
3*

*
0.

43
3*

*
0.

50
9*

*

A
W

S
0.

39
1*

*
0.

46
3*

*
0.

52
0*

*
0.

35
9*

*
0.

41
8*

*
0.

43
2*

*

A
T

S
0.

42
3*

*
0.

40
2*

*
0.

39
2*

*
0.

31
6*

*
0.

04
1

0.
47

0*
*

0.
52

1*
*

SW
10

0
0.

39
2*

*
0.

35
0*

*
0.

57
0*

*
0.

19
1

0.
42

8*
*

0.
32

4*
*

0.
32

0*
*

0.
22

6*

O
IL

0.
07

6
0.

01
2

0.
15

5
0.

08
9

0.
10

0
0.

14
0

-0
.0

62
-0

.0
53

0.
25

3*

PH
0.

41
8*

*
0.

41
3*

*
0.

49
9*

*
0.

27
7*

0.
38

7*
*

0.
45

9*
*

0.
18

6
0.

32
6*

*
0.

52
2*

*
0.

34
4*

*

SD
0.

06
7

0.
09

7
0.

10
2

0.
19

4
0.

07
0

0.
05

9
-0

.1
75

0.
11

6
0.

05
7

-0
.0

19
0.

13
3

C
D

0.
38

7*
*

0.
42

8*
*

0.
55

2*
*

0.
37

0*
*

0.
50

1*
*

0.
40

2*
*

0.
31

2*
*

0.
30

1*
*

0.
44

3*
*

0.
26

0*
0.

65
1*

*
0.

46
0*

*

N
B

-0
.0

10
-0

.0
18

0.
03

8
0.

01
6

0.
09

3
0.

00
1

-0
.1

05
0.

12
5

0.
02

4
0.

02
5

0.
18

9
0.

37
9*

*
0.

22
5*

W
L

0.
14

3
0.

16
0

0.
00

2
-0

.1
71

-0
.0

27
0.

26
0*

0.
02

9
0.

26
1*

0.
04

7
0.

17
2

0.
42

9*
*

0.
03

9
0.

31
7*

*
0.

02
2

L
L

0.
13

3
0.

20
8

0.
08

8
-0

.0
67

0.
04

7
0.

26
5*

0.
11

6
0.

35
5*

*
0.

09
5

0.
21

0
0.

54
6*

*
0.

15
9

0.
45

5*
*

0.
08

9
0.

84
3*

*

L
P

0.
18

3
0.

10
8

0.
26

6*
0.

06
1

0.
22

1*
0.

26
5*

0.
20

8
0.

23
4*

0.
27

2*
0.

10
8

0.
55

0*
*

0.
09

6
0.

39
4*

*
0.

06
9

0.
53

0*
*

0.
64

1*
*

FR
W

0.
42

6*
*

0.
32

5*
*

0.
52

4*
*

0.
34

5*
*

0.
55

6*
*

0.
35

0*
*

0.
25

8*
0.

13
4

0.
41

0*
*

0.
14

9
0.

46
4*

*
0.

30
8*

*
0.

67
5*

*
0.

14
1

0.
03

9
0.

16
8

0.
29

3*
*

SE
W

0.
42

4*
*

0.
31

8*
*

0.
52

7*
*

0.
33

2*
*

0.
55

4*
*

0.
34

4*
*

0.
26

9*
0.

14
7

0.
42

7*
*

0.
14

9
0.

47
3*

*
0.

28
6*

*
0.

66
7*

*
0.

13
6

0.
04

5
0.

17
5

0.
30

7*
*

0.
99

7*
*

PU
W

0.
42

5*
*

0.
33

3*
*

0.
51

2*
*

0.
36

3*
*

0.
55

4*
*

0.
35

6*
*

0.
23

5*
0.

11
1

0.
37

5*
*

0.
14

8
0.

44
3*

*
0.

33
9*

*
0.

68
0*

*
0.

14
6

0.
02

7
0.

15
4

0.
26

6*
0.

99
2*

*
0.

98
**

A
L

F:
av

er
ag

e
le

ng
th

of
th

e
fr

ui
t,

A
D

F:
av

er
ag

e
di

am
et

er
of

th
e

fr
ui

t,
A

W
F:

av
er

ag
e

w
ei

gh
to

ft
he

fr
ui

t,
A

W
P:

av
er

ag
e

w
ei

gh
to

ft
he

pu
lp

,A
N

S:
av

er
ag

e
nu

m
be

ro
ft

he
se

ed
s

pe
rf

ru
it,

A
L

S:
av

er
ag

e
le

ng
th

of
th

e
se

ed
,A

W
S:

av
er

ag
e

w
id

th
of

th
e

se
ed

,A
T

S:
av

er
ag

e
th

ic
kn

es
s

of
th

e
se

ed
,S

W
10

0:
10

0-
se

ed
w

ei
gh

t,
O

IL
:s

ee
ds

oi
lc

on
te

nt
,P

H
:p

la
nt

he
ig

ht
,S

D
:s

te
m

di
am

et
er

,

C
D

:c
ro

w
n

di
am

et
er

,N
B

:n
um

be
ro

fm
ai

n
br

an
ch

es
,W

L
:w

id
th

of
th

e
le

af
,L

L
:l

en
gt

h
of

th
e

le
af

,L
P:

le
ng

th
of

th
e

pe
tio

le
,

FR
W

:f
ru

its
w

ei
gh

tp
er

ac
ce

ss
io

n,
SE

W
:s

ee
ds

w
ei

gh
tp

er
ac

ce
ss

io
n,

PU
W

:p
ul

ps
w

ei
gh

tp
er

ac
ce

ss
io

n,
*

Si
gn

ifi
ca

nt
ly

at
5%

,*
*

Si
gn

ifi
ca

nt
ly

at
1%

.

Highlights in BioScience Page 8 of 11 March 2021|Volume 4

http://bioscience.highlightsin.org/


Tiendrébéogo et al., 2021 Variability and relationships between characters of physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.)

Figure 3. Association of modalities of traits in the ½ plan of the multiple cor-
respondence analysis (MCA) (45.41%) . BP: branching pattern, PBP: petiole
base pigmentation, OIL: oil content, SW100: 100-seed weight.

Discussion
The agro-morphological evaluation using quantitative and

qualitative characters highlighted the existence of variability for
some characters. Similar results for quantitative traits were ob-
tained by [20] and [11, 12]. For qualitative characters, this vari-
ability relates to branching pattern and petiole base pigmenta-
tion. [16] reported similar results on the petiole base pigmen-
tation. However, only two types of stem branching were ob-
served in this study compared to four types obtained by these
same authors, thus indicating that the accessions studied are less
diversified for this character. No color variation was noted on
the stems and leaves of the studied accessions. These results
are similar to those of [17], [21] and [22] but differ from those
of [16]. Genetic correlations indicate genetic relations between
characters. Knowledge of correlations among the characters is
useful in designing an effective breeding program for any crops
[23]. Indeed, the magnitude and direction of the genetic corre-
lation is important in the choice of breeding methods and the
formulation of strategies for simultaneous selection on multiple
traits [2]. The correlations noted in this study corroborate those
observed by [2] and [23]. In this study, statistically significant
correlation of oil content existed with crown diameter and plant
height. In addition, 100-seed weight character is significantly
correlated with crown diameter, petiole length and plant height.
These correlations are interesting for improvement programs be-
cause according to [24], the selection of elite accessions to re-
produce for oil extraction should be oriented towards those with
the best crown and seed weight traits. Furthermore, [25] indicate
that the quantity of seeds produced on the one hand is positively
correlated with crown, and on the other hand the seed weight

and the oil content are positively correlated. Significant and posi-
tive correlations between the characters of the seeds would favor
the simultaneous improvement of these characters through selec-
tion. Thus, in the study, interesting correlations were noted be-
tween the characters linked to the weight and dimensions of the
seeds. The strong positive correlation between the characters of
the seeds indicates that the genes which govern these characters
are probably linked or have a pleiotropic effect. Similar results
have been reported by [2] and [23] between 100-seed weight and
the dimensions of the seed. However, the study found no signif-
icant correlation between the oil content and the dimensions of
the seeds studied. Similar results have been also reported by [2]
and [18]. Furthermore, the study showed a positive and signifi-
cant correlation between the 100-seed weight trait and the seed
oil content trait. [26] and [23] observed a positive and significant
correlation between seed weight and oil content while [27] re-
vealed a negative correlation between these two characters. [18]
indicated that these contrasting results could be explained by the
high weight of the seed coat of some accessions. According to
[16], qualitative characters are morphological markers that can
be used to identify lines in a relatively short time. These au-
thors reported also that the development of descriptors on peren-
nial plants such as J. curcas can contribute to an effective use
of germplasm in the improvement programs. Analysis of the
association of characters revealed the existence of three morpho-
types differing in the color of the pigmentation of the base of
the petiole, the oil content of the seeds and 100-seed weight.
[16] identified also three descriptors based on the pigmentation
of the petiole base. For perennial plant such as J. curcas, these
morphological descriptors could make it possible to select geno-
types with high productive potential in the short term. Accord-
ing to [23], complex plant characters such as yield are quantita-
tively inherited and influenced by genetic effects, as well as by
genotype and environment interaction and selection may be diffi-
cult and time consuming to improve yield directly especially for
perennial crops such as J. curcas. Therefore, identification and
use of associations between characters are appropriate. In this
study, statistically significant association of 100-seed weight ex-
isted with seed oil content. Therefore, seed weight can be con-
sidered as important character for early selection of seed sources.
Furthermore, according to [11], the characters 100-seed weight
and oil content showed the highest values of broad-sense her-
itability (83.23% and 99.93% respectively) and high expected
genetic advance (22.63% and 19.62% respectively). The high
broad-sense heritability values associated with high expected ge-
netic advance indicate that effects of the genes are of additive
type for these characters and the opportunities to improve seed
weight character and oil content character through the selection.

Conclusion
This study highlighted an important agro-morphological di-

versity within the accessions of J. curcas from Burkina Faso.
The variability observed within the accessions studied and the as-

Highlights in BioScience Page 9 of 11 March 2021|Volume 4

http://bioscience.highlightsin.org/


Tiendrébéogo et al., 2021 Variability and relationships between characters of physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.)

sociations between the characters obtained constitute a database
for the genetic improvement programs of J. curcas in Burkina
Faso, in particular the development of high-yielding cultivars. A
positive and significant correlation between the 100-seed weight
trait and the oil content trait was noted. Growth traits such
as plant height and crown diameter was also significantly and
positively correlated with the oil content trait. Three morpho-
types were identified using petiole base pigmentation which are
the green morphotype with very high oil content and high 100-
seed weight, the purple morphotype with medium oil content
and medium 100-seed weight and finally the brown morphotype
with low oil content and low 100-seed weight. For perennial
plant such as J. curcas, these results on relationships between
characters could make it possible to select genotypes with high
productive potential in the short term.

Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the Bioscience Labora-

tory precisely Genetic and Plant Breeding Team (EGAP) of the
«Université Joseph KI-ZERBO» for the financial support of this
work. They are also thankful to all team members of the Bio-
science Laboratory for their input in this manuscript.

Authors’ Contributions
This work was carried out in collaboration between both au-

thors. The two first authors designed the experiment and ana-
lyzed the data. Both of the authors interpreted the data, read the
final manuscript, and agreed with all contents.

References
1. Pandey VC, Singh K, Singh SJ, Kumar A, Singh B, Singh RP.

Jatropha curcas: A potential biofuel plant for sustainable en-
vironmental development. Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Reviews. 2012;16(5): 2870-2883.

2. Freitas RG, Missio RF, Matos FS, Resende MDV, Dias LAS. Ge-
netic evaluation of Jatropha curcas L.: an important oilseed for
biodiesel production. Genetic and molecular research. 2011;10(3):
1490-1498.

3. Berchmans HJ and Hirata S. Biodiesel production from crude
Jatropha curcas L. seed oil with a high content of free fatty acids.
Bioresource Technology. 2008;99(6): 1716-1721.

4. Hamad B . Transestérification des huiles végétales par l’éthanol
en conditions douces par catalyses hétérogènes acide et basique.
Thèse de doctorat, Université Claude Bernard-Lyon 1, France;
2009.p.197.

5. Martin G et Mayeux A. Réflexion sur les cultures oléagineuses
énergétiques II. Le Pourghère (Jatropha curcas L.) : un carbu-
rant possible. Oléagineux. 1984;39(5): 283-286.

6. Ouattara B. Etude de la diversité génétique, de la variabilité agro-
morphologique et éco-physiologique de Jatropha curcas L. au
Sénégal. Thèse de doctorat unique, Université Cheich Anta Diop
de Dakar; 2013.p.120.

7. Minengu JDD, Mobambo P, Mergeai G. Influence de l’environne-
ment et des pratiques culturales sur la productivité de Jatropha
curcas L. en Afrique subsaharienne (synthèse bibilographique).

Biotechnoogy, Agronomy, Society and Environment. 2013;18(2):
290-300.

8. FAO et FIDA. Le Jatropha, une culture bioénergétique pour les
pays pauvres. Rapport; 2010.p.4.

9. Coulibaly ND, Koné D, Soro D, Kouadio YJ. Caractérisation
physiologique de dix accessions de Jatropha curcas dans deux
zones pédoclimatiques assez contrastées de la Côte d’Ivoire. Eu-
ropean Sientific Journal. 2015;11(36) : 61-77.

10. Ouédraogo M. Etude biologique et physiologique du pourghère
: Jatropha curcas L. ( Euphorbiaceae) en vue d’une meilleure
production de carburant de substitution. Thèse de doctorat, Uni-
versité de Ouagadougou; 2000.p. 284.

11. Tiendrebeogo KF, Sawadogo N, Nanema KR, Traore RE, Bationo-
Kando P, Ouedraogo MH and Sawadogo M. Evaluation of morpho-
metric characteristics of fruits and oil content of seeds of Jat-
ropha curcas L. in Burkina Faso. International Journal of Plant,
Animal and Environmental Science. 2016a;6 (2): 145-155.

12. Tiendrébéogo KF, Sawadogo N, Nanéma KR, Traoré RE, Bationo-
Kando P, Zongo JD and Sawadogo M. Evaluation de la diver-
sité génétique du pourghère (Jatropha curcas L.) au Burkina
Faso. International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies.
2016b;16 (1): 155-165.

13. Tiendrebeogo KF, Sawadogo N, Ouedraogo MH, Kiebre Z, Zida
WPMSF, Nanema KR, Batieno TBJ, Traore RE, Bationo-Kando
P, Zongo JD, Sawadogo M. Genetic Diversity of Jatropha cur-
cas in Burkina Faso Revealed by Microsatellite Markers. In Eu-
ropean Scientific Journal, ESJ. 2019;15(15): 229-243.

14. Bureau National des Sols (BUNASOL). Etude pédologique de
la station expérimentale de Gampèla, échelle 1/5000 . N° 59;
1988.p. 279.

15. Guinko S. Végétation de la Haute-Volta. Thèse de doctorat, Uni-
versité de Bordeaux III (France); 1984.p. 394.

16. Sunil N, Kumar V, Sujatha M, Rao GR, Vaprasad KS. 2013.
Minimal descriptors for characterization and evaluation of Jat-
ropha curcas L. germplasm for utilization in crop improvement.
Biomass and Bioenergy. 2013;48: 239-249.

17. Heller J, 1996. Physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.) in Promoting the
conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops. In-
ternational Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPIGRI). 1996;1:
1-66.

18. Leela T, Naresh B, Srikanth Reddy M, Madhusudhan NC, Cherku
PD. Morphological, physicochemical and micropropagation stud-
ies in Jatropha curcas L. and RAPD analys of the regenerants.
Applied Energy. 2011;88(6): 2071-2079.

19. AOAC. Official Methods of Analysis .1990; 1.p.684.

20. Sunil N, Sujatha M, Kumar V, Vanaja M, Basha SD and Vara-
prasad KS. Correlating the phenotypic and molecular diversity
in Jatropha curcas L. Biomass and bioenergy. 2010;35(3): 1085-
1096.

21. Sukarin W, Yamada Y and Sakagushis S. Characteristics of physic
nut, Jatropha curcas L. as a biomass crop in the Tropics. Japan
Agricultural Research Quarterly. 1987;20 (4): 302-303.

22. Tiendrébéogo KF, Sawadogo N, Ouédraogo RF, Ouédraogo MH,
Sawadogo M et Zongo JD. Evaluation morpho-physiologique et
estimation des paramètres génétiques au stade juvénile de 30

Highlights in BioScience Page 10 of 11 March 2021|Volume 4

http://bioscience.highlightsin.org/


Tiendrébéogo et al., 2021 Variability and relationships between characters of physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.)

accessions de pourghère (Jatropha curcas L.) au Burkina Faso.
Afrique Science. 2020;17(2): 202-210.

23. Shabanimofrad M, Rafii MY, Wahab MPE, Biabani AR, Latif
MA. Phenotypic, genotypic and genetic divergence found in 48
newly collected Malaysian accessions of Jatropha curcas L. In-
dustial and Crops Products. 2013;42: 543-551.

24. Gbemavo CJ, Gandji K, Gnangle CP, Assogbadio AE and Kakai
RLG. Variabilite morphologiques et conservation des morpho-
types de Jatropha curcas Linn. (Euphoriaceae) au Benin. Jour-
nal of Agriculture and Environment for International Develop-
ment. 2015;109(1): 55-69.

25. Rao GR, Korwar GR, Shanker AK, Ramakrishna YS. Genetic
associations, variability and diversity in seed characters, growth,
reproductive phenology and yield in Jatropha curcas L. acces-
sions. Trees. 2008;22(5): 697-709.

26. Kaushik N, Kumar K, Kumar S, Kaushikb N. Genetic variabil-
ity and divergence studies in seed traits and oil content of Jat-
ropha (Jatropha curcas L.) accessions. Biomass and Bioenergy.
2007;31(7): 497-502.

27. Wani TA, Kitchlu S, Ram G. Genetic variability studies for mor-
phological and qualitative attributes among Jatropha curcas L.
accessions grown under subtropical conditions of North India.
South African Journal of Botany. 2012;79: 102-105.

Highlights in BioScience Page 11 of 11 March 2021|Volume 4

http://bioscience.highlightsin.org/

	Abstract
	Introduction
	Material and methods
	Plant material
	Experimental site
	Experimental design
	Characters studied
	Data analysis

	Results
	Analysis of the phenotypic variability of J. curcas using qualitative variables
	Analysis of the phenotypic variability of J. curcas using quantitative variables
	Relationships between characters

	Discussion
	Conclusion
	Acknowledgments
	Authors’ Contributions
	References

