15. Botany
Heavea brasiliensis is diploid
(2n = 36,x=9).
It is pernnial ,monoecious
and cross-pollinated tree
species .
It belongs to family
Euphorbiaceae.
16. Flowers
Flowers are borne in many
flowered, auxillary , pubescent .
Flowers are small, scented
,unisexual with bell shaped female
flowers(60-80 males to each
female flower.
Flowering takes place with some
male flower opening first ,lasting
for one day and then dropping
,followed by female flowers open
for 3-5 days .
17. Fruits
Only a small proportion of female
flower set fruits .
Among this 30-50% of after a month
and more fall off later.
Mature fruit is a large, compressed ,
3-lobbed capsule , 3-5cm in diameter
with 3 oil containing seeds.
18. Seeds
The capsule burst open at the end of the rainy season with a
characteristic loud bang like a rifle shot .
The seeds are then collected for sowing in nursery.
19. PROPAGATION OF
RUBBER
• Seed propogation
• Seeds are collected everyday or
on alternate days as it loose
vialibity if exposed to sun.
• Sown in nursery beds.
20.
21.
22.
23. Vegetative propagation
1. Green budding:
• Stock and scion used are young.
• Stock are of 2-8 mon old, green
buds are taken from bud shoots
of 6-8wks.
• Buds seen in axil of leaf is used.
24. 2. Brown budding
Old stocks of 10 months or more
are used.
Buds found in axils of leaves are
used.
35. Climate
Rubber plants require annual rainfall of 200-300cm
i.e., 125-150 rainy days with out any dry season.
A warm temperature of 21º-35ºC is suitable .
Humidity ranging from 70-90% is ideal .
Growth of rubber is satisfactory up to 450m above
mean sea level.
A gently undulating topography with a slope of 5º-15º
is ideal.
36. Manures and fertilizers
30-30-30kg NPK recommended per hectare.
Plantations , where plants exihibit Mg deficiency
symptoms ,addition of 50kg/ha of magnesium
sulphate is recommended.
37.
38. TAPPING
• DEFINITION:
Tapping is the process of controlled wounding of rubber tree
during which thin shavings of bark are removed leading to flow of latex.
39. Slope and direction of tapping cut
• Tapping cut of budded trees should have a slope of 30° to
horizontal and that of seedlings a slope of 25°.
• A very steep cut leads to wastage of bark when tapping
reaches base of the tree, leads to overflow of latex.
40. Tapping depth, bark consumption
and bark renewal
• The best yield is obtained by tapping to a depth of <1mm close to
the cambium since more latex vessels are concentrated near the
cambium.
• For obtaining optimum yield it is preferable to consume about 20-
23m of bark annually on S/2 d2 system at 1.5mm per tapping.
• 100% tapping intensity= 150 taps per year.
41. Time of tapping and utensils
• Tapping should be commence early in morning, as late tapping
reduces exudation of latex.
• The Michie Golledge knife is used knife is used India.
• Dra knife or jebong knife commonly used in Malaysia.
Michie Golledge knife jebong knife
42. Tapping systems
• Response to tapping system varies from clone to clone.
• In general budded trees are to be tapped on half spiral
alternate days(S/2 d2 system) and seedlings on half spiral (S/2
d3) system.
• Difference between d2 and d3 is reflected in yield only in the
initial period.
43. METHODS OF TAPPING
RUBBER
1.Mini and Reduced spiral tapping
cuts:
Short tapping cuts (mini cuts of 5cm
or reduced spiral cuts of 10cm)
Less injurious to trees.
44.
45.
46. 2.High level tapping/Ladder tapping:
When tapping of renewed bark becomes
uneconomical,new cuts are opened at higher levels.
They use small ladders.
47.
48.
49. 3.Controlled upward tapping:
In CUT system , instead of using a ladder, a
long handled modified gouge knife is used
for upward tapping from ground.
50.
51.
52. 4.Puncture tapping or micro
tapping:
This is an incision method of tapping,
which involves making punctures with
a small needle.
53.
54. 5.Intensive tapping:
Done on old trees for few years prior to
their removal.
Increased tapping frequency, extension of
tapping cut & opening of double cuts is
done.
55.
56.
57. 6.Slaughter tapping:
Highly intensive tapping prior to replanting
is the last stage in tapping cycle.
Objective is to extract as much latex as
possible from available branch.
63. Latex
o Latex is white or yellowish opaque liquid.
o It contains 30-45% of rubber and 55-65% 0f water.
o Intensive tapping reduces rubber content.
o Fresh latex collected from tree is neutral in nature
o It becomes acidic rapidly due to bacterial action.
64. Pests of Rubber
• Termites
Management:
• Practice good sanitation in plantation.
• Destroy early colonies of termites.
•Regularly inspect termite tunnel sand destroy them.
65. • Root feeding grubs
Management:
•Do not apply insecticides since the grubs have many natural
enemies.
•Use poly bags in raising rubber seedlings to prevent grub attack.
66. White fly
Management:
•Tiny wasps,Encarsia sp. Parasitize nymphs of white flies.
•If the population of whitefly is newly established, soap solution
underneath rubber leaves.
•During heavy infestation, Deltamethrin and Lambdacyhalomethrin
may used.
67. Diseases of Rubber
1. Abnormal leaf fall – Phytophthora palmivora
Symptoms:
Rotting of fruits.
Later ,infected leaves fall in huge
number.
Leaves turn to coppery red.
Management:
Prophylactic spraying of 1% bordeaux mixture(3000-4000 lt/ha) or
oil based copper oxychloride(30-40 lt/ha) Is recommended.
68. 2. Powdery mildew – Oidium heveae
•Tender leaves with ash coating curl ,crinkle ,petioles attached
to the twigs .
•In later stages on older leaves white patches appear.
•Infected flower & fruits shed .
IDM: spray wettable sulphur (0.02%) or carbendazim(0.05%)
69. 3. Pink disease – Corticium salmonicolor
Symptoms:
White or pink coloured cobweb
mycelial growths .
It forms on the surface of bark with
streaks of latex.
Results in rotting,drying up,cracking
up.
Management :
Early stages,apply bordeaux paste upto 30 cm below and above the
affected region.
Apply Tridemorph(2%) incorporated in 1% of ammomiated field
latex.
71. 5.Physiological disorder
Tapping panel dryness syndrome[Brown bast]
Symptoms:
Due to dripping of latex.
Gradual decline in volume yield, pre-
coagulation of latex.
Partial or complete drying of tapping
area.
Browning,thickening and cracking.
High yielding clones are most
susceptible .
Management: Reduced tapping intensity or tapping
rest for 3-12 months are curative measures.
72. Vulcanization of natural rubber
• Vulcanization is a chemical process for converting
natural rubber into more durable materials by the addition of
sulfur or other equivalent curatives or accelerators.
• It was given by Charles goodyear.
