A Preliminary Report on Selecting Superior Individuals of Jatropha curcas in Yunnan Province

The selection criteria for superior individuals of Jatropha curcas were set up based on overall survey in different parts of Yunnan Province, and 145 superior Jatropha curcas individuals were selected. The mean age of these superior plants was 15 years old, and they were mainly distributed in scattered form or around the villages, houses, water bodies and along the roads. Most of the superior plants were multiple-stemmed, with average height of 4.59 m. The average crown diameter was 4.62 m, the mean fruiting number of each plant was 1037, and the mean fruiting number of per unit land area was 50 fruits/m². A serial of traits of fruits and seeds of the superior individuals were determined and analyzed in the laboratory.