The potential of Jatropha oil as a diesel substitute has already been recognized by Indian scientists, and several landowners in India have even started plantations of this tree. It is however still a low yielding wild plant, yielding on an average about 200 to 500 kg seed per acre. In fact, this is true of most of the oil-bearing tree species in India. Most of them do not yield more than about 100 to 250 kg of oil per acre. The species of oil-bearing plants that are raised as field crops have been subjected to intense plant breeding input, and therefore yield at least four times as much oil. Jatropha is a plant that can survive under adverse conditions, but under poor agronomic conditions, the yield would be even higher than other oil-bearing tree species in India.