Which crop belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae is known for producing…
2018
Which crop belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae is known for producing biodiesel?
- A.
Jatropha
- B.
Candlenut tree
- C.
Copper leaf
- 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.