Harvesting Techniques of Jatropha Curcas, L., and Economic Sustainability

Jatropha cultivation could represent an interesting source of income in developing countries where the plant may find environmental conditions adapt for its growth. The oil-containing seeds of Jatropha curcas L., could be a possible feedstock for biodiesel production. However, the harvesting of this plant presents several problems due to the presence of fruits that are in bunches and that do not ripen simultaneously: for these reasons, mechanical solutions aimed at facilitating harvesting operations are still limited. In fact, the main cost of Jatropha curcas L cultivation is the labor cost for fruit collection. Other costs include the mechanical equipment and the raw materials usage costs. Three different harvesting techniques, classified according to the level of mechanization, have been analyzed: the manual harvesting system, fully mechanical harvesting, and semi-mechanical harvesting systems. Based on data collected in harvesting field test carried out in Cuba, the harvesting cost for Jatropha fruit is calculated in order to identify the best practice among the three different harvesting systems. At the present, the harvesting of Jatropha fruits is mainly based on manual operations. This practice results very strenuous and time-consuming. The paper will compare the mentioned three harvesting methods and their economic sustainability. Assessing the economic performances of different harvesting systems may contribute to the scientific literature towards the introduction of innovations useful to spread the Jatropha cultivation.