Several pests and diseases have been reported. In general, pests and diseases do not cause severe problems, although arthropod worms called millipedes (Latin for "1000 legs”) can cause total loss of young seedlings. Millipedes live outdoors in the damp under leaves, needles, and dead plant debris. Seedlings are also susceptible to competition from weeds during their early development. Therefore, weed control, either mechanical or by spraying herbicides, is necessary during the first couple of months in the nurseries.

3.1.26

Limitations of the Crop

There are several limitations:

1. The seeds are toxic and the seedcake as such cannot be used as an animal feed. Without detoxification the seedcake can only be used as an organic fertilizer. Recently, at the University of Hohenheim in Germany, on a laboratory level detoxification of the Jatropha seeds has been made possible. As soon as large jatropha crops are harvested in 2013 and even more so in 2014, the seedcake can also be used as animal feed, as long as detoxification costs are keptunder control.

2. Jatropha prospers only in tropical climates. It cannot be planted in climates where temperatures fall regularly below 0°C because the plant will die. Here as well, research is taking place to develop Jatropha plants apt to grow in colder climates.

3. Jatropha is not a fast-growing crop like sugarcane or Camelina. Many Jatropha projects and initiatives have been abandoned because investors did not have the financial foresight to wait 4-5 years for a good return on their investments.

4. Jatropha is labor-intensive and cannot be harvested mechanically on a large scale like corn. Labor costs are a major item on financial spreadsheets for Jatropha planting.