Abstract
ABSTRACT The use of the Ethrel® stimulant on rubber cultivation has become essential to ensure greater rubber production. When applied on the cut of the tree, this stimulant releases the ethylene gas that causes an increase of the exudation period of the latex flow. Dilutions and applications should be performed correctly so that they do not cause tapping panel dryness, which would leave the plant unproductive for a long time. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of increasing doses of ethrel on tapping panel dryness and rubber production of rubber tree clones. Three experiments were conducted using a randomized block design with four treatments (ethrel doses) and three replicates. The clones used were RRIM600, PR255 and PB217 submitted to doses of the stimulant Ethrel 0%, 2.5%, 3.3% and 5% with an interval of application of 30 days. The d/7 bleeding system was used. The productive performance was evaluated monthly and the total of plants with tapping panel dryness at the end of the work. All clones presented a linear positive response to increasing doses. The dose of ethrel 5% favors higher rubber yields in the three evaluated clones, but is associated with high percentage of drying. Thus, it was concluded that the production of rubber is affected positively with the increase of ethrel doses, but this increase causes a higher incidence of panel drying. Thus, it is recommended to use the ethrel 2.5% dose so the production is guaranteed without causing the tapping panel dryness.
Highlights
The rubber tree is the popular name given to the plant of the genus Hevea, belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae, native to the Amazon region (Souza and Lorenzi, 2012)
The ethrel when applied at the cutting site of the tree, releases the ethylene gas that causes an increase of the latex exudation period, because it induces a delay of the obstruction of the laticiferous vessels (Rojas et al, 2017)
It was observed that the rubber production of the clones changed positively with increasing dose applied in the panel dryness
Summary
The rubber tree is the popular name given to the plant of the genus Hevea, belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae, native to the Amazon region (Souza and Lorenzi, 2012). Among the eleven species of this genus, the Hevea brasilienses species is the most important and productive, standing out to produce latex of better quality (Gasparoto and Pereira, 1997). In order to enhance the production of latex, the use of stimulants in rubber trees was introduced in the 1980s. The ethrel when applied at the cutting site of the tree, releases the ethylene gas that causes an increase of the latex exudation period, because it induces a delay of the obstruction of the laticiferous vessels (Rojas et al, 2017). Ethylene acts by increasing the sucrose hydrolysis, which results in the release of glucose and improves the supply of the carbon source to the biosynthesis of the rubber, increasing the period of exudation (Tupy and Primot, 1982). Its use provides desirable latex characteristics, such as elasticity, flexibility and impermeability (Borracha Natural Brasileira, 2011)
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