POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE Jatropha curcas L. AS FEEDSTOCK FOR BIODIESEL IN THE STATE OF VERACRUZ

Abstract

There is great interest to use from Jatropha curcas L. (J. curcas) Las feedstock for biodiesel. In order to increase energy and economic efficiency, it is necessary to identify areas with optimal agroecological conditions for its cultivation and to determine its productivity in marginal areas to avoid competition with food production. The aim of this study was to determine the variation of the productive potential of J. curcas in response to different soil and climatic conditions of the state of Veracruz. The model used to simulate the seed yield of J. curcas was the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The units of calculation were the Hydrologic Response Units (HRU); the weather was extracted from 95 weather stations; Crop physiological parameters were taken from the literature. The simulated seed yield of J. curcas ranged from 0.16 to 5.74 t ha-1 and was mapped by grouping in 5 intervals. Superficies was quantified for each interval and related to the current land use. There were Identified 872 thousand hectares with seed yield higher than 3.63 t ha-1 in grasslands. The seed yield showed the most sensitivity to soil depth, followed by the mean annual temperature and annual total rainfall.