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use of jojoba in the pharmaceutical arena; however, petitioner
failed to pursue this possibility. Petitioner's failure to
investigate independently any of the enumerated potential uses of
jojoba plants was unreasonable under the circumstances.
Petitioner had no legal background or training, limited
agricultural background or training, and no prior background with
jojoba plants; yet, he consulted few, if any, sources of such
information prior to investing in Blythe I. Petitioner's limited
youthful background with the growth and sale of coffee and citron
should have educated petitioner that no two plant species respond
to identical treatment and that each has a different potential
for commercial production and sales.7 Petitioner appears to
argue that it would have been difficult for him to locate an
appropriate expert to examine the investment. On the contrary,
the Court does not believe that petitioner would have experienced
a great degree of difficulty in contacting the agricultural
department of a nearby college or university or going to another
reliable source to inquire about the research and development of
jojoba plants and their potential commercial usage, if any. A
7 Indeed, petitioner testified that the commercial market
for coffee was much larger and more lucrative than that for
citron.
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