Genetic variability and genetic progress in seed traits in breeding the physic nut

Determining the chemical composition of seeds of the physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.) is of great importance for the species due to the oil content of the seeds (the principal trait of interest). Identifying promising genotypes with selectable seed traits is one of the strategies adopted in breeding the physic nut in order to increase the yield and quality of the oil. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition of seed traits in ten half-sibling progeny of the physic nut, and to identify which progeny have good genetic performance for transmission to the offspring. The experimental design was completely randomised, with ten treatments and four replications. The treatments were represented by seeds from half-sibling progeny in which the carbohydrate, protein and lipid content, and the composition of the fatty acids were evaluated. The genetic parameters and the gains from their selection were predicted for the principal seed traits using mixed-model analysis, including REML (restricted maximum likelihood) and BLUP (best linear unbiased prediction). The physic-nut seeds showed an average dry matter (DM) concentration of 60 mg g-1 carbohydrates, 42 mg g-1 protein and 142 mg g-1 total lipids. Unsaturated fatty acids represented more than 85% of the total fatty acid composition, with the oil classified as oleic-linoleic. Considering the predictions of the genetic parameters, the lipid traits can be selected for the purpose of breeding, resulting in genetic progress in the yield and quality of physic-nut oil.