One of the viable alternatives for the occupation of the space left by the cotton in the semiarid of Ceará is the cultivation of Jatropha curcas L. aiming the production of biodiesel. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of different levels of irrigation water (735.53, 963.30, 1191.03, 1418.82 and 1646.60 mm) and nitrogen fertilizer (0, 25, 50 and 75 kg N ha-1) on the growth of the Jatropha curcas L crop. The data regarding the growth of fresh biomass epigeal phytomass were obtained at seven different crop cycle times (30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180 and 210 days after pruning). According to the results, the stem height and the relative growth rate in stem height had a linear increase with the increase of water depths. The collection time influenced the values of height and stem diameter, resulting in both a linear behavior over the course of the experiment. There was a decline in the values of relative growth rate in height and stem diameter caused by climatic factors (temperature, relative humidity, rainfall and evaporation) and the onset of flowering and fruit formation.
Jatropha curcas L.; localized irrigation; biodiesel
