Correlation and effect of pruning and spacing on jatropha flower, fruit, and seed performances

Importance of the work: Optimization of plant spacing and applying hard pruning in jatropha cultivation are promising ways to improve production.Objectives: This study examined the effects of pruning and planting spacing on jatropha traits including flower, fruit, and seed characteristics. Materials and Methods:A study was conducted on 14 jatropha varieties, evaluating them under narrow and standard spacing conditions over two years.The plants were pruned after the initial year to stimulate new growth, and data on flower, fruit, and seed characteristics were collected. Results:The results are noteworthy, indicating that, while plant spacing had a minimal impact on jatropha traits, pruning significantly accelerated flowering and enhanced inflorescence number, seed size, and weight, albeit reducing the number of seeds per fruit.A strong correlation was also found between the inflorescence number in jatropha and their growth and yield traits (r = 0.53* to 0.89**).Main finding: These findings suggested that reducing plant spacing did not affect jatropha flowering, fruiting, and seed setting, but pruning enhanced these traits and correlated with a higher yield.