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Chlorophyll contents reflects the plants ability to adapt to stress, and has been used as a diagnostic tool to study genotypic variation. Fifteen clones of Casuarina equisetifolia L. selected from varied climatic conditions were compared for their growth performance and biochemical profile in order to identify markers for early screening of perennials for their adaptation to changing climatic conditions. Chlorophylls a and b, total chlorophyll, a:b ratio and carbonic anhydrase were chosen as indicators of biochemical alteration. The main questions addressed in this study were (1) Do clones show variations at the biochemical level, and can it be correlated with growth performance? (2) Which biochemical indicator is more effective as a marker for productivity and consequently in predicting carbon accumulation in clones? Significant variations were observed in all the parameters studied. The chlorophyll a and the hydrolytic enzyme, carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity correlated positively with DBH, a measure of the carbon accumulation in plants suggesting their application as a sound method to test seedling stock quality for enhanced sequestration potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low fruit yield is a major constraint in Jatropha curcas plantations in South India.The variations in flowering and fruiting characters across years was studied in a three year old Jatropha plantation. The relationship among the characters and their stability revealed existence of significant genetic differences among different phenotypes. The reproductive success was high as evidenced by the high correlation between female flowers and fruit set. It also suggested that J. curcas displays phenomenon of alternate bearing. The limitation of low count of female flowers needs to be tackled by adoption of silvicultural practices to enhance female flower production per plant. The study suggests need to understand the planting material selected for breeding and crossing programmes should aim at increasing yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]