Determination of fertilization in the production and quality of piñon oil (Jatropha curcas L.)

Abstract

The Piñon is a tree that grows on all types of soil, is resistant to drought and has medicinal properties. The seeds have high oil content which is suitable for the production of biodisel. The Piñon in the Caribbean, Colombian region is planted in live fences with little knowledge of agronomic management as a crop; Therefore, the need to evaluate the agronomic behavior, production capacity and oil quality of four pinion ecotypes in the department of Córdoba, Colombia was raised. The ecotypes CPB-1 (Brazil), CPM-6 (Mexico), Astréa (Colombia) and Barranca (Colombia) were used, under different fertilization doses, in a randomized block design, with divided plots with three replications. In treatment A was fertilized with 50 g of urea per plant, treatment B 50 g of urea plus 50 g of P2O5 and treatment C 50 g of urea plus 50 g of KCl and a control (treatment D). The statistical analysis showed that there are significant differences between ecotypes and treatments, it was determined that the Brazil Ecotype under treatment B was the one with the best results in terms of yield (3932.6 Kg ha-1). Regarding the quality of the oils for the production of Biodiesel, all the treatments presented very good results, with low acidity and Iodine indexes, and high saponification index. Therefore it is recommended to establish the fertilized Brazil ecotype with 64 g urea + 109 g DAP, for the zone of the middle Sinú.

Keywords

• matropha curcas l
• ecotypes
• fertilization doses
• seed yield
• oils quantity