Assessment of benefits and risks of growing Jatropha (Jatropha curcas) as a biofuel crop in sub-Saharan Africa: a contribution to agronomic and socio-economic policies.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the main goals behind the development of a biofuel industry are employment creation and income generation. Jatropha has emerged as a candidate for biodiesel production. This paper aims to assess the benefits and risks, especially risks, of growing Jatropha for biodiesel production. Jatropha should be screened through a science-based risk-assessment procedure to predict the risk of becoming invasive before it is released for large-scale commercial cultivation. The net GHG savings can be achieved through the cultivation of Jatropha, considering two main factors: no land-use change and crop management without chemical fertilization.
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Genetic Diversity Analysis Reveals Genetic Differentiation and Strong Population Structure in Calotropis Plants.
The genus Calotropis (Asclepiadaceae) is comprised of two species, C. gigantea and C. procera, which both show significant economic potential for use of their seed fibers in the textile industry, and of their bioactive compounds as new medicinal resources. In this study, the authors developed twenty novel EST-SSR markers and applied them to assess genetic diversity, population structure and differentiation within Calotropis. The study provides novel insights into the genetic diversity and population structure of Calotropis, which will promote further resource utilization and the development of genetic improvement strategies for Calotropis.
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Next-Generation Sequencing Reveals the First Complete Genome Sequence of Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus from Uganda
This work presents the first complete genome sequence of Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV) isolated from cowpea in Uganda and compared with five CABMV complete genome sequences from Brazil (2), India (2), and Zimbabwe (1). The genome most resemble the genomes of two Brazilian isolates (MG-Avr and BR1) and one Indian isolate (RR3).
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