Morphological variability and oil content of Jatropha platyphylla Müll. Arg. germplasm as determined using multivariate analysis

Jatropha platyphylla is a species of the Euphorbiaceae family with kernels rich in oil and protein with no toxicity. The aim of this study was to analyze the morphological variability and oil content of J. platyphylla in tropical deciduous forests of Mexico to determine the characteristics and establish domestication strategies. Principal component and cluster analyses were performed with 11 traits: plant height, stem diameter, canopy spread, number of branches, total fruit production, dry fruit weight, seed weight, seed diameter, kernel weight, shell weight and oil content. Significant differences were found in eight of the traits. Grid maps of the distribution pattern, total fruit production and oil percentage were generated. In principal components analysis the three components explained 70.2% of the variance in the data and showed that the traits that contributed most to the variance were the morphological characteristics of seeds. In the cluster analysis, seven clusters were obtained, of which three clusters grouped the germplasms with the highest oil percentages. The variations in oil content and morphological variables suggested opportunities for viable selection in domestication and genetic improvement programs, considering that J. platyphylla is a wild species. Exploring adapted varieties and producing interspecies hybrids can create added value to these little explored species.