The company, based in Encinitas, California, near the border with Mexico, has opened a Genetic Resource Centre to conduct further research into the oilseed plant.
Jatropha is native to Central America and is cultivated in subtropical regions of Africa, India, Paraguay and North America. Jatropha seeds produce four times as much biofuel per hectare as soya beans, and 10 times as much as corn, the main feedstock for US ethanol.
