Transcriptome Analysis in Jatropha During Abiotic Stress Response

Jatropha is a biofuel crop that can grow in marginal lands and is a suitable model plant to study abiotic stress tolerance. To be considered as a sustainable oil crop, Jatropha plants should tolerate environmental stress and remain productive despite the climatic changes. Jatropha gained popularity as a very stress-tolerant plant producing high amounts and good-quality oil. However, the initial expectations were not met as Jatropha showed inconsistent performance in the field. This is proof that Jatropha can benefit from crop-breeding programs. Transcriptomics is an approach that can be applied to Jatropha breeding, especially to develop lines that can perform well in specific environmental conditions. By analyzing the changes in gene expression during stress response, it will be possible to understand how crops regulate physiological processes in order to cope with stress. In this chapter, the trends in transcriptome analysis in Jatropha for abiotic stress response and their applications will be discussed.