Which crop belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae is known for producing…

2018

Which crop belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae is known for producing biodiesel?

  1. A.

    Jatropha

  2. B.

    Candlenut tree

  3. C.

    Copper leaf

  4. D.

    Sarpagandha

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A

Concept: Euphorbiaceae (the spurge family) is a large plant family whose members are cultivated for many different economic uses -- latex, ornamental foliage, medicinal compounds, and, in a few species, seed oil. A biodiesel crop specifically means a plant whose seed oil is processed by transesterification into an engine-grade fuel; sharing a plant family is not enough on its own -- the species must actually be developed for that oil-to-fuel use.

Application: Among the options, Jatropha is the spurge-family species that India developed as its flagship non-edible oilseed for biodiesel: its seeds yield roughly 30-40% oil, the plant grows on wasteland without competing with food crops, and a dedicated national biodiesel mission was built specifically around its cultivation. It is the standard, textbook example of a Euphorbiaceae biodiesel crop -- a handful of other spurge-family seeds have only been tested for biodiesel in isolated laboratory studies, without ever being adopted as an actual feedstock crop by any programme.

Cross-check: Checking the other options against both criteria -- family membership and biodiesel use -- confirms this:

  • Candlenut tree: also a spurge-family plant, and a few lab-scale research papers have experimented with transesterifying its seed oil, but it has never been adopted or promoted as an actual biodiesel feedstock crop by any national or commercial programme -- occasional laboratory-scale research is not the same as a crop 'known for' biodiesel production.

  • Copper leaf: also a spurge-family plant, but it is grown purely as an ornamental foliage shrub; no seed-oil industry exists around it at all.

  • Sarpagandha: fails the family test itself -- it belongs to a different plant family entirely, and it is cultivated for the alkaloid reserpine in its roots, used in blood-pressure treatment, not for any oil or fuel use.

Explore the full course: Ctet Paper 1

Loading lesson…