This is a small tree also called Tempate native to Central America and Mexico. It has been introduced to the world tropics for medicinal purposes, for lighting oil, and as a fence tree, since cattle avoid this tree. In the past the seed oil has also been used to make soap and it has other properties that might have other unforeseen uses and byproducts. In English the tree is called the "physic nut" which refers to its old medicinal use.

The seeds of this tree are over 35% oil and can provide one of the best alternatives to the world need for self sufficiency in pollution-free fuels.

In recent years Jatropha curcas has been planted in fairly large areas in the tropics to make biodiesel, but the correct management of this crop has not yet been worked out. The fruits are harvested by hand and the potentially valuable byproducts are thrown into the fields as "fertilizer".
For many governments of the world it has become apparent that this crop could be part of an integral agricultural system if not grown as a mono cultivar. It is the intention of Atlantis Energy S.A. to develop this crop as part of an integral system with a number of possible intercrops whose cultivation is known.

Technical sheet

Atlantis Energy S.A. has developed a complete technical sheet about Jatropha. It is available for the farmers and companies with which we establish alliances. This technical sheet is a compilation from many researches around the world and the unique experience of working and watching the plant grow for some years.

Kingdom	Sub kingdom	Division	Class	SubClass	Order	Family	Genre	Specie
Plantae	Tracheobionta	Magnoliophyta	Magnoliopsida	Rosidae	Euphorbiales	Euphorbiaceae	Jatropha	Curcas

This Jatropha technical sheet establishes its ecology, morphology, vegetative cycle, habitat, fenology, favorite climate and many other tips for a successful management of a Jatropha plantation.

Jatropha plant growth calendar	Drawing of jatropha curcas from INBIO	Germinating seeds

Productivity data

Atlantis Energy S.A. was formed to develop new growing models that could be profitable to farmers as well as to investors. Although the margins of profits for growing Jatropha curcas in Costa Rica are challenging to establish because of the difference in cost of inputs such as labor with respect to countries such as India, Nicaragua, Belize and others, profits can be made due to two basic factors: A) The price of a barrel of fossil oil has risen twofold with respect to the price existing when Atlantis Energy started its learning experiments. B) The byproducts, like the cake left after the vegetable oil has been extracted, can potentially be developed to yield secondary profits that might have more value than the profits from the oil.

The expected yield of Tempate (Jatropha) is 430 gallons, or about 1500 liters of vegetable oil per acre. The earnings of this amount of oil will depend on the price of similar fossil petroleum products. Right now the net estimated income per hectare is about $1000 per hectare per year, but this income could be increased if intercropping is practiced, which is the model we recommend. Market demand for vegetable oil is bound to increase, almost without limits, as the price of fossil oil keeps going up and the world fuel crisis deepens. We estimate that all vegetable oil produced can be easily sold, now and in the future, for a good profit. But above all, those that have plants producing vegetable oil would be in a position to obtain their own fuel in the event that fossil fuels became scarce or impossible to buy.

		Cultivation system Atlantis Energy S. A. has invested in developing models of cultivation that include passive harvesting, intercropping and organic management. Our cultivation system is motivated by an integral coherence with the social and ecological environment in which the Jatropha plantations are being established. Passive harvesting is something important to focus on in this country, because hand labor is very expensive and difficult to get. Intercropping and organic management are other two other practices of the cultivation model our company is promoting. Both are very important for the sustainability of the land, for the health of all living beings and for the economical profits of the farmers. Intercropping This system includes inter-cropping with crops that could make extraction of oil from Jatropha curcas seeds a secondary source of income. Based on such research the staff of Atlantis Energy is prepared to expand the cultivation of Jatropha curcas and inter-crops on a large scale. Some of the crops we recommend to grow with Jatropha are Maracuyá, Maize y beans, Tubercles, Fruitages, Paste, Aloe Vera, Chile, Natives Trees, Tree beans, Sun flower, Vanilla, Medicinal plants and others. Evaluation of lands viable for growing Jatropha As said, Atlantis Energy is also concerned about the alimentary security of Costa Rica.
Graphic from ¨Perspective: Jatropha biodiesel fueling sustainability?¨

Because of this it has developed a criterion of selection for the farmer’s land which is viable and practical to grow Jatropha. The Jatropha plant likes a certain type of soil, this is clear to us, but we also know that with integral work many options are possible. For example in a land with really poor agro ecological characteristics (low nutrients, compacted soil, etc.) and where no food can be grown in the first years, we recommend growing Jatropha with other plants like Higuerrilla or Castor bean for a couple of years so that the land will in many ways recover and can be used again for food and oil production. Of course this is not a mechanized process, and many good and profound agricultural practices must be applied.

The first step is to do a physical, chemical and microbiological evaluation of the soil, so we can determinate the future management. Based on this evaluation we would know what is necessary for the conservation, productivity or recovering process of the soil.

Sub products

(In the chart to the right, although the term manure for use of the seed cake is technically a correct term, many would think that fertilizer or manure-fertilizer would be better understood by many)

Jatropha with Aloe vera	Uses of Jatropha from Handbook on Jatropha Curcas 2006

Environmental concerns of Atlantis Energy S.A.

•Management, conservation and improvement of wastelands with agro ecological practices.
•Promote organic agriculture, sustainable in time and energy efficient.
•Promote intercropping (avoid mono cultivars) that help keep the biodiversity of the lands, protect the erosion of the soil and help the plantations in their different stages (shadow, nutrient exchange, repellent, etc.)
•Promote the use of seeds from local wild varieties that are more resistant to plagues. Recommend that hybrid varieties of Jatropha be planted far away from local varieties of Jatropha or Tempate.
•Promote ethical and environmental guidelines, like not cutting any trees for the plantations of Jatropha, not using lands that are very useful for growing food, not applying dangerous agrochemicals, pesticides, etc.
•Promote an approach to the land as a integral healing process, not only in the management of the plantations, but in the amplified sense that includes a holistic conception of the Earth’s health as a living being that requires a respect toward the life cycles that are inter-related in a living chain.
•Promote the development of small or medium size farming of biofuels to assure local groups access to liquid Biofuels that can be used with the least modifications of engines. The burning of vegetable oil in today’s diesel engines can bring down the toxic emissions of fossil diesel by as much as 90%. Such change in type of fuel can, in the long run, to create a healthier atmosphere.