Part 1 - Worldwide importance of Jatropha -- Global status of bioenergy research and Jatropha: A Review -- The economic importance of Jatropha for India -- The economic importance of Jatropha in China -- The economic importance of Jatropha in Brazil -- Part 2 - Biology and reproduction -- Wood  anatomy of Indian Jatrophas -- Laticifers of Jatrophas -- Breeding system and pollination Biology of  Jatropha curcas L: A Review -- LM and SEM of pollen in Indian species of Jatropha L. (Euphorbiaceae) -- Structure and development of  fruit and seed  of Jatropha gossypifolia L -- Climate and Physiological Constraints on cultivation in the United States -- Embryology of Jatrophas: A Review -- Part 3-  Farming and Agriculture -- Jatropha  curcas and crop management -- Jatropha  Pests and diseases in India -- Phytosanitary aspect of Jatropha farming in Brazil -- Phytotechnical aspects of Jatropha farming in Brazil -- Agro-ecological conditions, agronomic practices and farming system value of Jatropha in sub-Saharan Africa -- The Jatropha culture systems, growth and productivity, seed traits and genetic diversity of Jatropha in Sudano-Sahelian zone of Senegal -- Part 4 - Genetic diversity of Jatropha and domestication -- Jatropha curcas: Origin, domestication and diversity distribution -- Systematics of Indian Jatrophas and their Economic importance -- Genetic diversity in Mexican germplasm -- Genetic diversity of Jatropha in Brazil -- Genetic diversity of Jatropha in Africa -- Towards Jatropha domestication the integration of sciences -- Karyology and genomics of  Jatropha and future prospects -- The the methylome and the selective breeding of Jatropha -- Comparative Genomics in Euphorbiaceae -- The genetic improvement of Jatropha curcas through selection and  breeding -- Genetic improvement of Jatropha -- Studies on Jatropha curcas L and its improvement through induced mutation -- ECO-TILLING in Jatropha -- The genomics of Jatropha -- Jatropha proteomics -- Part 5 - Jatropha’s germplasm -- Genetic diversity and molecular markers  in Jatropha species -- Interspecific Hybridization in the genus Jatropha and future prospects -- Intergeneric hybridization and affinities with related genera -- Conservation strategies and management of Jatropha germplasm -- Jatropha’s germplasm manipulation in Brazil.-Micropropagation of Jatropha curcas for large scale multiplication of  quality germplasm.

Jatropha, Challenges for a New Energy Crop, Volume 1 reports on the state of the art of scientific investigations on the new crop Jatropha curcas made during the past decade. The progresses obtained on the knowledge of this abstemious, semi-wild species are already impressive and were mainly achieved in just a decade (2001- 2011). This knowledge extends from basic Jatropha physiology and biological reproduction to the basic agronomic practices and systems for its productive management, but also the complete set of biotechnological tools, such as in vitro culture, genetic transformation, genomic sequence, genetic map, and markers assisted selection that are necessary for its selective breeding. These scientific and technological achievements paved the way for the future technological management and domestication of Jatropha as an industrial oilseed crop able to contribute to the feeding of the transport system. The two book series on Jatropha is the first comprehensive compilation by global experts. It is an essential text in view of the importance that Jatropha demonstrated worldwide by its large scale cultivation and emerging value for energy business as a biofuel. This first volume is presented in five units comprising 30 chapters covering the main aspects of the worldwide economic importance of Jatropha as well as its physiology, farming, oil processing, by-products, biodiesel, and biofuel combustion. Volume 1 provides a comprehensive picture on the whole productive chain of Jatropha and helps the reader to make a mental representation concerning the potential of Jatropha as a crop.