 The Tuba-tuba Plant (Jatropha curcas)
Also known as Tubang Bakod in Tagalog, Physic Nut in English or
interchangeably tuba-tuba or Jatropha. The latest craze to hit the
agri-business in the Philippines. Cultivated primarily for its oil
to produce biodiesel. The Tuba-tuba has been planted in the
Philippines for quite some time but it was used mainly as fencing
since it animals do not eat the leaves -even the insatiable goat
would not eat the leaves. The ever increasing price of petroleum
prices has triggered interest on the Tuba-tuba or Jatropha.
Jatropha is a drought resistant perennial shrub or small tree that
produces seeds up to 35 years but can live up to 50 years. Jatropha
grows fast with little or no maintenance and reaches the average
height of about 3 meters but it can grow up to 8 meters.
Tuba-tuba is one of the most promising sources of bio-fuel today.
About 30% of the Tuba-tuba nut is composed of oil. 3 kilos of
Jatropha seeds can produce about 1 liter of crude Jatropha oil that
can then be processed into biodiesel fuel. This oil can be easily be
processed into fuel that can replace or mixed with petroleum based
diesel to save on imported oil and most importantly increase local
employment and help the economy to grow.
Since the Jatropha plant's average height is about three meters,
harvesting is easy and the plant can be grown practically anywhere
(ordinary soil, sandy, gravely or rocky soil) and adapts easily to
different climates. Jatropha is resistant to droughts -it can stand
up to two years without rainfall. The tree also has a short
gestation period, it will bear a several fruits starting at about 6
months old and be fully fruit bearing between one to two years.
Other Benefits of Planting Tuba-tuba/Jatropha:
- Aside from using the seed oil as biodiesel, the extracted oil can
also be used in making soap.
- The Jatropha/Tuba-tuba leaves can be used for fumigating houses to
expel bugs.
- The root extract of Jatropha plant can be used as yellow die while
the bark extract as blue dye. While the seeds when pounded can be
used for tanning.
- The roots, flowers and latex of the Jatropha plant are said to
have medicinal properties.
- Planting Jatropha reduces soil degradation, erosion and
deforestation of the countryside.
Planting the Tuba-Tuba:
Irrigated land can be planted with up to 2,500 Jatropha plants per
hectare - a spacing or two meters by two meters. But on poor soil,
and land dependent only on rainfall, the plants should be spaced
further apart. A month or two before the start of rainy season is a
good time to plant. Jatropha seeds can directly be planted or 2 to 3
month old seedlings from nurseries can be used. Jatropha seedling or
cutting is planted then covered on an up-hill manner to avoid
erosion. The plants are watered for two weeks after transplanting.
Seeds can usually be harvested 1 year after planting. Potential
yield ranges from 1.25 to 12.5 tons of seeds per hectare.
Process of Oil Extraction:
Oil is easily extracted from the Tuba-tuba nut by the use of a
presser-expeller. This engine driven machine is simple enough to be
operated in provinces by village folks. The yield is about 1 liter
of oil for every 3 kilos of seeds. The oil is then refined to
produce biodiesel.
It has been estimated that for a processing plant (presser-expeller)
to be economically viable and have continuous supply of the Jatropha
nut, 5,000 hectares of land have to be planted with Jatropha trees.
The trees can also be planted on coconut plantations - intercropping
the Tuba-tuba/ Jatropha under the coconut trees. With proper
weeding, pruning, ploughing and fertilization, up to 20 kilos of
seeds can be harvested per tree - up to 0.40 metric tons per hectare
for non-irrigated land and up to 2.5 metric tons of seed per year if
the land is irrigated. This is a boost for coconut farmers and land
owners alike.
In the Philippines, planting of Jatropha or Tuba-tuba is on high
gear, more so in Visayas & Mindanao but it can be planted anywhere.
The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA)
is actively promoting its planting to coconut farmers.
With the ever increasing interest in biodiesel fuels, we may one day
get used to the idea that fuel for our vehicles was harvested from
local plantations instead of using imported oil from the Middle
East.
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