Luis Montes (1976), associate professor at Universidad San Carlos in Guatemala city. PhD student in the Jatropha curcas genetic research program. Experience in genetic analyses methods in both Latin America as in the USA.

JatrophaWorld 2008 Miami Speaker
Day 2 – Wednesday, June 11
11:40 GLOBAL JATROPHA CURCAS GENETIC DIVERSITY STUDY
Development of new breeding methods - combining the Meso-American genetic variation with elite Indian and African J. curcas.

This Global Jatropha curcas Evaluation Project (GJEP) comprises identification and widening the genetic base of J. curcas for breeding purposes, aimed at an increased and reliable bio-fuel production for different production systems of J. curcas.

Overview of Presentation
Current reports on genetic diversity show little genetic variation within Indian and African accessions of J. curcas. South and Meso-America are supposed to be the centers of origin of J. curcas and therefore it is expected that the largest genetic diversity can be found in these regions. In this project large numbers of J. curcas accessions from different regions in the world (South America, Meso- America, Africa and Asia) are evaluated, providing the first steps towards new breeding lines by combining positive traits found in different accessions from these regions.

The project will develop segregating populations, molecular marker maps and search for associations between markers and traits (QTL-analysis).

JatrophaWorld 2008 is a showcase of all the latest trends and shifts occurring in the Jatropha value chain, bringing together on a single platform, the best expertise to discuss and analyze the present and future dynamics of Jatropha from a technological and socio-economic angle. To find more about JatrophaWorld in Miami from June 9 to 11, 2008, please visit http://www.futureenergyevents.com/jatropha/.