National security, nutritional security, environmental security and energy security are inter-related and energy security at present has become a national issue. Exploitation of fossil fuel, a sector of energy resources, has been increasing day by day due to mechanized life and it has threatened not only the environmental hazard but also it has opened eyes for exploration of alternate source of fuel growing as our food, feed, fibres and fire woods are grown by farmers. Since country has huge waste land and manpower so production of non-edible oil through plantation of Jatropha and its transformation into bio-diesel is one of the best option as production of edible oil in cultivated land is insufficient to meet the requirement of present population. Countries like Germany, France and Italy are confidently depending on bio-diesel but from edible oil produced by rapeseed and sunflower. Few countries are moving towards Jatropha cultivation, however, neither a suitable variety nor its standardized agro-technology is so far available. Keeping in view, this book is compiled based on literature, personal communication, experiments, papers, and presentation etc. This book is lucidly written and contains 37 chapters, 33 tables and 56 figures for better understanding of readers.
Dr. Mohommad Arif having completed M. Sc.& D. Phil. from University of Allahabad joined DRDO in 1980. During this period he has got opportunity to work in High altitude area of Uttarakhand and Leh., Ladakh. Also he visited Antarctica in XI Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica, where he could succeeded in growing of 84 varieties of 26 vegetables besides two high altitude grasses. He also surveyed and collected insects and mites of several orders.He worked on different projects like Angora rabbit for wool production, genetic transformation of Pea using cry genes for inbuilt resistance against insect pests, high altitude insect pests and pollinators etc. There are so many insect pests as first report from high altitude areas of Uttarakhand and Ladakh in his credit. During this period he has published 68 research papers in national and international Journals, 14 articles, 7 chapters in books and one technical bulletin on Angora rabbit farming. He is life member of 10 scientific society and Journals. During the course of his services he has been awarded Young Scientist Award in 1992 by AZRA, Cuttack and MAAS, AMU, Aligarh, DRDO Technological Award in 1996, Fellowship Award in 1997 by Bioved Research Society, Allahabad, SPPS Fellow Award in 2000 and PI Industrial Award in 2005 by Society of Plant Protection Sciences. On his adventurous activities he has received commendation certificate by Hon’ble Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the then Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri in 1998. At present Dr. Arif is working as a coordinator of DRDO- Army Bio- diesel Programme.
