There are hundreds of species of plants/ trees/ shrubs found wild or cultivated inside as well as outside the forest areas containing sizeable amount of vegetable oil having domestic and industrial utility. Out of these species, the oilseeds of tree origin like Neem, Mahua, Karanja, Jatropha, Jojoba, Wild Apricot, Tung, Indian Jujube or BER, Wild Plum, Indian Tulip Tree, Drumstick, Indian Rose Chest Nut etc. have uses like illumination, lubricants and alternative source of biodiesel. They have the capacity to grow and establish in varied agro-climatic conditions and in the wastelands of the country.
There is need to exploit the existing potential and also to augment the current potential to achieve the self-reliance in biofuel requirement. The TBOs possess 20-60 per cent oil content in seeds/kernel, which are edible fat and non- edible for industrial uses. Some of them can be utilized as source of bio-diesel production.
There is need to exploit the existing potential of above TBOs. The oil extracted from some of these sources, not only form an essential part of human diet but also serve as important raw-material for manufacturing soap, paints, varnishes, cosmetics, medicines, hair oil, lubricants, textile, auxiliaries and also potential substitute of diesel and kerosene. Oil cakes are used as cattle feed and organic manures.
There are enormous wasteland areas available in India as well as in global level and developing these wastelands by undertaking plantations of tree borne oilseeds has great scope in future. Promotion of TBOs plantation can generate tremendous job opportunity among the rural masses, simultaneously augment the availability of edible and non-edible oils.
The oils of Jatropha curcas and Pongamia pinnata are potential substitute of diesel and the indigenous production of bio-diesel will resist the outflow of valuable foreign exchange caused by the import of crude petroleum. It may lead to a revolutionary transformation of the gloomy economic and energy scenario with an era of economic bloom and prosperity of all sections of society.
1. Neem (Azadirachta Indica):
Neem is a large evergreen tree, but deciduous in dry areas and occurs in the entire India. It thrives better in drier climate of North-West India. It grows well in any soil and climatic conditions below 3,500 meter altitudes. Generally it is found wild in deccan forests and in scattered form in Northern and Central parts of India. Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal etc. are some of the potential states.
The neem can be propagated through seeds and vegetative methods like cutting and grafts. The flowering occurs in clusters during February-May and fruiting starts from May to August. The seed collection period in North India is June-July whereas in South India, it is May-June. The dried fruits contain about 20 per cent of oil and 30-35 per cent of proteins. About 25-28 per cent kernel is found in dried fruits and contains about 50 per cent oil. Neem oil is composed of various alkaloids such as azadirachtin, salanin, nimbin and nimbidin.
Every part of the plant like leaf, wood, bark, flower, fruit and seed have the medicinal, pesticidal, industrial and domestic uses. The neem wood is used in making of furniture, house and agricultural implements and it is also used as fuel. The leaf contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, fibre and minerals like calcium phosphorus and iron. It is used as fodder for cattle like camel and goat as well as for medicinal purposes.
The neem bark, which contains nimbin, nimbidin, tannin, amino acid, calcium, potassium and iron, is used in manufacturing of medicines. The flower is used in domestic purposes and it has also the ritual importance. The neem seeds are used for extraction of oil which is used in the manufacturing of bio- pesticides, soap and cosmetics. The cake, which contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, protein, fat, fibre and ash, is used as manure. The oil has many alternate uses such as bio- diesel and pesticide purpose.
2. Mahua (Madhuca Indica):
Mahua has been categorized into two major species namely – indica and longifolia. Madhuca indica (syn. Bassia latifolia) is a deciduous tree which is generally found in dry- tropical deciduous forests in central plains of North India. Madhuca longifolia (syn. Bassia longifolia) is an evergreen or semi-evergreen tree which is mostly found in the monsoon forests of South India.
Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, M.P., Orissa, U.P. and Tamil Nadu are some of the potential states. It can be propagated through seeds in the month of July-August. Flowering starts from the end of February to April, fruits appear in May-June and the seed collection period starts from June-July.
Mahua wood has good timber value and the leaves can be used as green manure and animal fodder. The bark possesses tannin which is useful for dyeing and tanning and the bark has medicinal properties also. The flowers are used for distillation of liquor as well as essential oil. Being rich in sugar, vitamins and calcium it is also used for edible purpose.
The kernels which form about 70 per cent of the weight of seeds contain 45-50 per cent oil in M. latifolia and 50-55 per cent in M. longifolia which are smaller in size. The oil is used for edible purposes by tribals, in vanaspati and substitute for cocoa butter in confectionery. It has also the industrial (soap/candle making) and medicinal uses.
The cake is used as cattle feed and good manures with insecticidal properties. The cake contains saponius, a powerful fish poison, could be used to control predatory fish present in fish ponds and lakes. The cake is a cheap source of effective wormicide and could be used in maintenance of turf, lawn and golf grounds free from earth worms. The oil has potential use of edible as well as bio-diesel purposes.
3. Karanja (Pongamia Pinnata):
Karanja, a medium sized glabrous tree with a short bole and spreading crown, is distributed throughout India along road side and railway tracks. It is drought resistant and tolerant to salinity and occurs on the water courses. It can be propagated by seeds or by root suckers during July-August. Flowering occurs during April-September depending upon locality and seed collection period starts from May to October.
The karanja produces hard wood for domestic/agricultural uses. The leaves are used as green fodder and as green manure. The seeds contain 27-39 per cent oil which is used for soap making, leather dressing, lubrication, illumination and for medicinal purposes. The seed cake is used as manures for coffee plantations and is also reported to reduce the incidence of root knot nematodes. The oil has many alternate uses and suitable for bio-diesel production.
4. Jatropha (Jatropha Curcas):
Jatropha, a large soft wooded deciduous shrub, is found in India in semi-arid conditions. Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra etc. are some of the potential states. It can be propagated by seeds and cutting during February-March. The flowering occurs twice in a year during March-April and September-October. The seed collection can be started during June-July and October-November, respectively.
Jatropha grows rapidly and is not browsed by cattle and therefore, it is generally used as hedge plant. All parts of the plant exude sticky, bitterly, pungent and astringent latex which can be used in making ink. The bark contains tannin, wax, resin and saponins which make it useful for industrial purposes. The kernel which forms 60-65 per cent of the weight of seed contains oil about 45-58 per cent of kernel weight and 30-40 per cent of seed weight.
The oil is used for illumination without smoke, substitute of diesel and kerosene, lubricants, soaps and candle manufacturing. It can be used as hair oil and has also application to livestock against sores. The cake is used as good manure. Jatropha is grown worldwide for biodiesel. In India, more than 0.2 million hectare area is under Jatropha cultivation for bio-diesel purpose.
5. Jojoba (Simmondsia Chinensis):
Jojoba, pronounced as Ho-Ho-Ba, is an exotic hardy desert shrub which can withstand extreme arid conditions of temperature and very low annual rainfall. However, irrigation and manuring are needed for good yield and economic return. Further, shallow soils and temperature factor have major impact on flowering and fruit yields in A.P. and other Southern States.
The possibilities of promoting jojoba in such areas may be examined more critically. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and A.P. are potential states wherein, it can be propagated through seeds and cutting during October and February. The jojoba plants start yielding consistently in the fourth year and it can yield up to 200 years.
The jojoba seeds contain about 50 per cent of oil. Jojoba oil and its derivatives have diversified uses viz. cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, lubricants, food, electrical insulators, foam control agents, plasticizers, fire retardants, transformer oil. It is also used for obtaining waxes which is used for polishing floors, furniture, automobiles and in candle and textile industries. The cake can be used as cattle feed.
6. Wild Apricot (Prunus Armeniaca):
Wild apricot, locally called chullu, is found in the dry temperate region of J&K, H.P. and Uttaranchal. It is distributed in the North Western Himalayas particularly in the valley of Kashmir, Chenab, Kullu, Shimla and Garhwal hills. It is propagated through seeds in the month of October and through cutting in February-March.
The fruit of wild apricot mixed with doze of cultivated types are utilized in production of apricot jam, apricot nectar and apricot papad. The fruit is also used by the tribals for the preparation of distilled alcoholic liquor.
The kernel which constitutes about 20-40 per cent of fruit contains about 45-50 per cent oil. The oil is used as a substitute for almond oil. The oil is also used for food purposes, cosmetics and pharmaceutical preparations and in medicines for ear ache and other ailments. The cake is used as a feed for livestock.
7. Tung (Aleurites Species):
Tung is an exotic deciduous rapid growing tree found in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Eastern Asia and Malaysia. Tung trees are grown for its valuable quick drying oil (A better drying oil than linseed oil). China and United States are the major tung oil producing countries.
An elevation of 2,500-3,500 meter and rainfall of about 50-70 inches are best suited to its growth. Out of six species of tung, two species viz. Aleurites montana and Aleurites fordii have been well acclimatized in Mizoram. More than 5 million grown up tung trees are reported available in Mizoram State.
The plants can be raised from seeds, either by direct sowing or by transplanting. Propagation by budding and grafting has also been suggested. To increase the yield, it is advisable to select seeds from dominantly female flowering trees, but vegetative propagation of high yielding trees will give better yields.
The seedlings are transplanted after six months at a spacing of 3.8 m in rows 9 m apart. Ordinarily 200-250 trees could be maintained in a hectare. The tree is comparatively fast growing and can attain a height of 2.4 to 3 m in the third year, when some of them begin to flower and bear fruit.
The full bearing capacity is attained at the 10th year and the tree continues to bear fruits for another 20 years. A ten year old tree generally yields 20-25 Kg of fruits per season. The fruits yield 50-60 per cent of nuts or seeds. In India, the seeds yield 55- 60 per cent of kernels which in turn yield 49-65 per cent of oil. The wide range in oil content indicates adequate scope for selection and improvement in oil yield for biodiesel production.
8. Indian Jujube or BER (Ziziphus Mauritiana):
The Indian jujube is native from the Province of Yunnan in southern China to Afghanistan, Malaysia and Queensland, Australia. It is cultivated to some extent throughout its natural range but mostly in India where it is grown commercially and has received much horticultural attention. Z. mauritiana is a medium sized tree that grows vigorously and has a rapidly developing taproot, a necessary adaptation to drought conditions. The species varies widely in height, from a bushy shrub of 1.5-2.0 m tall, to a tree of 10-12 m tall with a trunk diameter of about 30 cm.
It is hardy tree that copes with extreme temperatures and thrives under dry conditions with an annual rainfall of 15-225 cm. It also grows well on laterite and medium black soils with good drainage or sandy, gravelly, alluvial soil of dry river-beds where it is vigorously spontaneous.
In India, there are 90 or more cultivars available depending on the habit of the tree, leaf shape, fruit form, size, colour, flavour, quality and fruiting season. Among the important cultivars, eleven are described in the encyclopedic Wealth of India: ‘Banarasi’ (or ‘Banarsi’), ‘Pewandi’, ‘Dandan’, Kaithli’ (or ‘Patham’), ‘Muria Mahrara’, ‘Narikelee’, ‘Nazuk’, ‘Sanauri-1’, ‘Sanauri-5′, Thornless’ and Umran’ (or ‘Umri’).
It is widely grown from seeds which may remain viable for two and half years. The hard stone restricts germination and cracking the shell or extraction of seeds hastens germination. Without pretreatment, the seeds normally germinate within six weeks whereas extracted seeds only need one week to germinate.
The germination can be improved by soaking seeds in sulfuric acid. Ber seedlings do not tolerate transplanting, therefore the best alternatives are to sow the seeds directly in the field or to use polythene tubes placed in the nursery bed. Seedlings are ready for budding in 3-4 months. In addition, seedlings from the wild cultivars can be converted into improved cultivars by top-working and grafting.
Nurseries are used for large scale seedling multiplication and graft production. The seedlings should also be given full sunlight. The seedlings may need as long as 15 months in the nursery before planting in the field. Scientists in India have standardized propagation techniques for Ber establishment. Budding is the easiest method of vegetative propagation used for improved cultivars. Different types of budding techniques have been utilized with ring-budding and shield- budding being the most successful.
The major production regions for Indian jujube are the arid and semi-arid regions of India. Trees in northern India yield 80-200 kg of fresh fruit per tree per year when the trees are in their prime bearing age of 10-20 years. The fruit is eaten raw or pickled or used in beverages.
It is quite nutritious and rich in vitamin C and it is second only to guava and much higher than citrus or apples. The fruits are applied on cuts and ulcers and employed in pulmonary ailments and fevers. The fruits are mixed with salt, chilli and peppers and given for indigestion and biliousness. The dried ripe fruit is a mild laxative.
The seeds are sedative and are taken, sometimes with buttermilk, to halt nausea, vomiting and abdominal pains in pregnancy. They check diarrhoea and used as poultice on wounds. Mixed with oil, they are rubbed on rheumatic areas. The fatty-acid methyl ester of Z. mauritiana seed oil meets all of the major biodiesel requirements. The average oil yield is 4.95 kg oil per tree or 13700 kg oil per hectare.
9. Wild Plum (Ximenia Americana)
False sandalwood is synonymous for wild plum and it is also known as wild olive, sour plum and tallow nut in English and kadaranji and siruyilandai in Tamil. Ximenia americana is drought resistant tree and mostly available solitary. It is available in open country, savannah, gallery forest, along coastal areas, in the understorey of dry forests, in dry woodlands, or on riverbanks. It can be grown in the area of 0-2000 meter altitude, having mean annual temperature of 14-30°C and mean annual rainfall of 300-1,250 mm.
It can be grown in often poor and dry soils including clays, clay loam loamy sands, sandy clay loam and sandy soils. It is a bush-forming shrub or small tree of 2-7 m high. Trunk diameter seldom greater than 10 cm and bark colour dark brown to pale grey and smooth to scaly. It is easily propagated through seed and cuttings. The tree regenerates naturally from seed and coppice. Fresh seeds should be sown for good germination.
The fruits being pleasant to eat raw and can be used to make juice, jams and jellies or an intoxicating drink. The pulp of seed and fruit contains hydrocyanic acid and it is advisable not to chew the seed. Seed oil contains oleic, linoleic, linolenic, arachidonic, eicosatrienoic, erucic and nervonic acids. Kernel oil is used as a vegetable butter and as a ghee substitute. Firewood and charcoal are the chief uses of the wood, because the trunk is usually too small to make it useful for timber. Volatile oil from leaf yields benzaldehyde, hydroxy benzyl cyanide and isophorone. Kernels are purgative and the oil is suitable for bio-diesel production.
10. Indian Tulip Tree (Thespesia Populnea):
Thespesia populnea, commonly known as Portia Tree, is a flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is a small tree or shrub that has a pantropical distribution, found on coasts around the world. However, the Portia Tree is probably native only to the Old World and may have originated in India. It is possibly indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands and elsewhere in the Pacific, but may have been spread by early Polynesians for its useful wood and bast fibres.
The Portia Tree reaches a height of 6-10 m tall and a trunk diameter of 20-30 cm. It grows at elevations from sea level to 275 meter and in areas that receive 500-1,600 mm of annual rainfall. The Portia Tree is able to grow in the wide range of soil types that may be present in coastal environments, including soils derived from quartz (sand), limestone and basalt. It favors neutral soils (pH of 6-7.4).
The heartwood of the Portia tree is used to make the thavil, a carnatic musical instrument of South India. Milo is popular in Hawaii for woodworking (commonly turned into bowls) because of the range of colors expressed (tan, through yellow, to red). The fruits, flowers and young leaves are edible. Other products extracted from the plant include tannin, oil and gums (a dark red resin exudes from the bark).
Ground up bark is used to treat skin diseases (India), dysentery and hemorrhoids (Mauritius). Leaves are applied to inflamed and swollen joints (South India). When cut, the young fruit secretes a yellow sticky sap used to treat ringworm and other skin diseases (South India). There is some modern investigation of the plant’s effects on high blood pressure and the oil is suitable for biodiesel production.
11. Drumstick (Moringa Oleifera):
Moringa oleifera is called as drumstick tree from the appearance of the long, slender, triangular seed pods. It is also known as horse radish tree from the taste of the roots which resembles horse radish or ben oil tree from the oil derived from the seeds. The moringa tree is grown mainly in semi-arid, tropical and subtropical areas. It is a fast-growing, drought- resistant tree that is native to the southern foothills of the Himalayas in northwestern India.
The tree itself is rather slender, with drooping branches that grow to approximately 10 m in height. India is the largest producer of Moringa. Among the states, Andhra Pradesh leads in both area and production followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu is the pioneering state as it has varied genotypes from diversified geographical areas and introductions from Sri Lanka.
It is propagated by planting 1-2 m long limb cuttings, preferably in June to August. The plant starts bearing pods 6-8 months after planting, but regular bearing commences after the second year, continuing for several years. It can also be propagated by seeds, which are planted an inch below the surface and can be germinated year-round in well-draining soil.
The Moringa pod is known as murungai kai, saragwa or saragwe in India and is often referred to as “drumstick” in English. In South India, it is used to prepare a variety of food items. It is considered as one of the world’s most, useful trees, as almost every part of the moringa tree can be used for food or has some other beneficial property.
The leaves are highly nutritious being a significant source of beta-carotene, vitamin C, protein, iron and potassium. The leaves are cooked and used like spinach. Its leaves are commonly dried and crushed into a powder and used in soups and sauces.
Murungakai, as it is locally known in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, is used in Siddha medicine. The tree is a good source of calcium and phosphorus. In Siddha medicines, these drumstick seeds are used as a sexual virility drug for treating erectile dysfunction in men and also in women for prolonging sexual activity.
The Moringa seeds yield 35-40 per cent edible oil (called ben oil from the high concentration of behenic acid contained in the oil). The refined oil is clear and odourless and resists rancidity. The seed cake remaining after oil extraction may be used as a fertilizer and the oil is a potential source of biodiesel.
12. Indian Rose Chest Nut (Mesua Ferrea):
Mesua ferrea (Ceylon ironwood) is a species in the family Calophyllaceae. It is the national tree of Sri Lanka. The plant is named after the heaviness of its timber and cultivated in tropical climates for its form, foliage and fragrant flowers. It is native to tropical Sri Lanka but also cultivated in the state Assam in India.
It is a tall tree reaching up to 30 m tall, often buttressed at the base with a trunk up to two meters in diameter. It has simple, narrow, oblong, dark green leaves of 7-15 cm long with a whitish underside. The emerging young leaves are red to yellowish pink and drooping.
The wood is very heavy, hard and strong. Weight is about 32.7 kgs per cubic foot and density is 1.12 metric ton per m3. Colour is deep dark red and refractory in sawing and mechanics. It is used for railroad ties and heavy structural timber. Its resin is slightly poisonous, but many parts have medicinal properties. It enhances the complexion and leads to fragility transparency to the skin.
The flowers are acrid and anodyne and used for digestive, constipating and stomach ache problems. They are useful in conditions like asthma, leprosy, cough, fever, vomiting and impotency. The seed oil is considered to be very useful in conditions like vata and skin diseases.
Dried flowers are used for bleeding hemorrhoids and dysentery with mucus. Fresh flowers are useful remedy for itching, nausea, erysipelas, bleeding piles, metrorrhagea, menorrhagea, excessive thirst and sweating. Oil from the seeds is used for sores, scabies, wounds, rheumatism and for biodiesel production.
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