A silica mining area ,in Vindhayn hills of Allahabad District in Uttar Pradesh, India, is severely degraded
due to open cast silica mining. This continuous process of opencast mining has scarred the landscape,
disrupted ecosystems and destroyed microbial communities of the area. Apart from these unsightly
impacts, the degraded environments created in the aftermath of opencast mining often cannot support
biomass development. Over the long term, opencast mining reduces forest productivity, damages aquatic
and atmospheric ecosystems and sometimes leads to substantial alterations in microclimates. Such
changes, in turn, carry adverse economic and social impacts for nearby communities whose residents
depend on the region’s natural resources for large portions of their incomes. Therefore there is an urgent
need to reclaim these abandoned areas by using such plants, which can easily establish themselves in such
adverse conditions and also support the economy of the local people. Jatropha curcas has been found
most suitable for the purpose, especially due to the use of its seed oil as bio diesel and its resistant nature.
It can be grown on such lands, which are largely unproductive for the time being, and are located in
poverty stricken areas. The present study is on the performance of different provenances of Jatropha in
silica mining area of Vindhayn hills, India. For this, total twenty-three provenances were collected from
different parts of India. Their seedlings were raised in nursery. The growth performance of these
provenances of Jatropha was recorded in nursery. After that, the field trial of these seedlings was carried
out in the silica mining area. The growth performance was recorded. The provenance with best
performance may further be recommended for the reclamation of such areas under similar agro climatic
conditions and through Jatropha plantations, three major objectives, viz. wasteland reclamation,
production of eco-friendly bio fuel, and socio-economic development of degraded areas can be achieved
simultaneously.Non UBCUnreviewedOthe
