RUBBER TREE SEED PRODUCTION

PART I
JULIO MARCOS-
MARCOS-FILHO SILVIO MOURE CICERO
DEPTO. DE PRODUÇ
PRODUÇÃO VEGETAL – USP/ESALQ

IMPORTANCE OF THE CROP IMPORTANCE OF THE CROP

- Rubber tree is native to the Amazon region - Brazil is the 9th world producer.
(7º
(7º N to 15º
15º S) 60% of the country needs Î imports

- Cultivated in many regions: - Primary advantages of the crop:

China: 24º
24º N; Brazilian southeast: 25º
25º S Perennial growth habit
- Production of latex Composition of production systems:
Consortium: important crops Î maize, field
- Primary world producers and importers bean, rice, coffee, cocoa, pineapple, oil
2 palm 3

THE SPECIES
Perennial dicot
Euphorbiaceae
Hevea brasiliennsis

Importance of grafting techniques

Photo IAC

Consortium rubber tree x coffee Direct sowing?

Rubber tree benefits from cultural practices for the coffee crop since
it possesses a longer cycle 4 5

1
 PLANT DEVELOPMENT

Seed germination / plant vegetative growth

Figure IAC

1. Primary root protrusion; 2. “Spider paw”

paw” seedling;
6 3. Normal seedling; 4. Growth of first two branches 7

PLANT DEVELOPMENT PLANT DEVELOPMENT

Fruit development
Flowering

IAC

Photo IAC
8 9

PLANT DEVELOPMENT CLIMATE CONDITIONS

Seeds
Temperature: 27º
27ºC to 30º
30ºC
Lower than 20º
20º C and high humidity?

LATEX EXTRACTION
Possible from the sixth year
Proceeds for 25 to 30 years
Crop longevity:
Genotype, climate and crop management
10 11

2
 IAC

ADULT RUBBER TREE CROP

12 13

SEEDLING PRODUCTION SEEDLING PRODUCTION

Different approaches available for seedling production A) Rootstocks formation
“spider paw”
paw”
seedling
Problems caused by the use of seeds from native areas Seed germination
and advantages of clones from hybrid cultivars

Phases of seedling production

- Rootstock formation
- Clonal gardens
- Grafting Seed distribution on soil surface

14 15

IAC

Production of “spider paw”

paw” seedlings IAC
16 17

3
IAC Seedling selection 18 IAC Transferring to the nursery 19

SEEDLING PRODUCTION
B) Clonal gardens

IAC

IAC Transferring to the nursery 20 Seedlings from direct sowing in plastic bags 21

B) Clonal gardens SEEDLING PRODUCTION

C) Grafting

Stalk selection for grafting

iac
Buds can be collected in an adult clonal garden 22 23

4
 SEEDLING PRODUCTION
C) Grafting

Stalk to collect buds

Bud collected
Grafting 24 Grafted seedlings ready for transplanting in the field 25

SEED PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

Cultural practices

Harvest
Mature seeds shed from dehiscent fruits

Seed production

Importance of cleaning the area before harvest

26 Cleaned area before harvest 27

SEED TECHNOLOGY 29
histodifferentiation reserve transfer desiccation

fres
ORTHODOX

h we
ight

The Recalcitrant Behavior

g ht moisture
ei content
yw
dr

Recalcitrance: concept and overview fresh weight

RECALCITRANT

Development patterns of orthodox and recalcitrant seeds ei

g ht moisture content
yw
dr

TIME
Relationship between seed fresh weight, dry weight and moisture content during the
28 development of orthodox and recalcitrant seeds (Adapted from Berjak & Pammenter,
Pammenter, 2000).

5
 Types of Recalcitrance
SEED STORAGE
Mínimum Moderate High
Fair amount of water Moderate amount of Little water loss Seed moisture content and lipid content
loss tolerated water loss tolerated tolerated
Germination slow in Moderate germination Fast germination in
absence of additional rate in absence of absence of additional
water additional water water
Lower temperature Most species are Most species are
Seed packaging
tolerated temperature sensitive temperature sensitive
Temperate / tropical Tropical forests and
distribution Tropical distribution wetlands
Ex.: Theobroma,
Theobroma, Hevea
Ex.: Quercus, Araucaria Ex.: Avicennia marina Factors affecting seed storability
Table 1. The continuum proposed to account for varying degrees of
of recalcitrance
(Farrant et al., 1988)
30 31

Table 2. Seedling emergence (%) from rubber tree seeds (35% m.c.) m.c.) with or without fungicide
treatment and stored in plastic bags placed in three different environments
environments (Cicero et al., Table 3. Percentage seedling emergence from rubber tree seeds
1986). (24.8% m.c.)
m.c.) with or without fungicide treatment and stored
with in plastic bags placed in three different environments
Storage period (days) (Cicero et al., 1986).
Environments Treatments
0 64 127 187 249 510 Storage period (days)
Environments Treatments
T1(‡) 66 70 11 10 01 00 0 70 145 204 285
Cold chamber
(10oC/80% RH) Cold chamber T1(‡) 66 08 01 05 03
T2 88 76 19 12 04 01
(10oC/80% RH) T2 88 12 08 02 01
Dry chamber T1 66 77 44 34 30 10 T1 66 23 05 06 01
Dry chamber
(22oC/35% RH) T2 88 82 60 42 27 17 (22oC/35% RH) T2 88 27 10 04 04
T1 66 85 59 46 24 15 T1 66 32 11 05 03
Laboratory Laboratory
T2 88 33 15 09 03
T2 88 80 68 61 34 15
(‡) T1 =: seeds treated with 0.1% Benomyl;
Benomyl; T2 = control 33
(‡) T1 =: seeds treated with 0.2% Captan;
Captan; T2 = control 32

Table 4. Germination (%) of rubber tree seeds stored in two types

types
of packing material in the laboratory and in cold chamber
SEED QUALITY ASSESSMENT
at 10 C (Pereira, 1980).
o

Germination test
Storage period (days)
Material / environment
0 30 60 90 120 135 150
Plastic / laboratory 52 56 77 63 62 64 23
Plastic / 10oC 52 22 36 18 15 08 12
Multiwall paper/
52 00 00 00 00 00 00
laboratory
Multiwall paper / 10oC 52 00 00 00 00 00 00

34 35

6
 SEED QUALITY ASSESSMENT

Tetrazolium test

CONCLUSION

Non-
Non-viable
Viable

36 37