JOJOBA

General information about crop : Jojoba grows to 1-2 m tall, with a broad, dense crown. The leaves are opposite, oval in shape, 2-4 cm long and 1.5-3 cm broad, thick waxy glaucous gray-green in color. The flowers are small, greenish-yellow, with 5-6 sepals and no petals. Each plant is single-sex, either male or female, with hermaphrodites being extremely rare. The fruit is an acorn-shaped ovoid, three-angled capsule 1-2 cm long, partly enclosed at the base by the sepals. The mature seed is a hard oval, dark brown in color and contains an oil (liquid wax) content of approximately 54%. Cultivation : Type of soil or area for cultivation : Most wild jojoba populations occur on coarse, light or medium textured soils with good drainage and good water infiltration. Planting on heavy soil results in later blooming, slower growth and more problems with fungal diseases. Weather condition : Jojoba is best suited to areas that are frost free and is not grown in the northern Midwest. When temperatures drop below 20K, flowers and terminal portions of young branches of most jojoba plants are damaged. During early seedling development, excessive cold may kill an entire plantation. Frost may not damage taller plants to the same degree, but it can reduce yield. Jojoba is very tolerant of high temperatures. Natural stands of jojoba occur in areas that receive 3 to 18 in. of precipitation annually. Irrigation has produced more luxuriant vegetative growth, but it is not known whether this increased growth results in higher seed yield. Jojoba requires the most water during late winter and early spring. Harvesting : All seeds on a jojoba shrub do not mature at the same time, and more than one harvest may be necessary. Most jojoba is currently harvested by hand. Over-the-row fruit and berry harvesting equipment is adaptable to jojoba harvesting. Jojoba seed that has been dried to around 10% moisture and protected from pest damage will keep for several years.

Jojoba grows to 1-2 m tall, with a broad, dense crown.