California-based SG Biofuels has launched JMax 100, a proprietary cultivar of jatropha optimized for growing conditions in Guatemala with yields 100 percent greater than existing varieties, according to the company.

SG Biofuels is a plant oil company specializing in the development of jatropha as a low-cost, sustainable source of oil and has the largest library of jatropha genetic materials in the world. JMax 100 is the first elite cultivar developed through the company’s JMax Jatropha Optimization Platform, which provides growers and plantation developers with access to the highest-yielding and most profitable jatropha, the sequenced genome and advanced biotech and synthetic biology tools to develop cultivars specifically optimized for their unique growing conditions, according to SG Biofuels.

JMax 100 increases the profitability of jatropha to greater than $400 per acre, more than 300 percent above existing commercial varieties. That equates to more than 350 gallons per acre at $1.39 per gallon, according to SG Biofuels. “JMax 100 is the tip of the iceberg in the development of jatropha as a renewable energy crop,” said Kirk Haney, SG Biofuels president and CEO. He added that Guatemala has a head start, but the company anticipates advancements through the JMax platform that will further enhance the profitability and productivity of jatropha for growers around the world.

Source: http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=3540, 23 February 2010

For more information on SG Biofuels’ jatropha breeding activities, join them at JatrophaWorld 2010 on 6 October in Rotterdam as they discuss on;

Jatropha 2.0 – Breeding, Biotech and Molecular Agronomics: How an Integrated Platform is Bringing the Opportunities of Jatropha to Reality

• Major strategic partnerships that drives advancements
• The role of breeding, biotechnology and molecular agronomics in accelerating crop improvements
• Community farming initiative in Guatemala
• JMax 100 – elite cultivar of Jatropha
  Presented by: Mr. Kirk Haney, President & CEO, SG Biofuels

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