Rubber Research

Tapping Panel Dryness (TPD) Syndrome of Hevea brasilinsis (Rubber tree)

• Tapping panel dryness (TPD) is a serious disorder leading to severe yield loss of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis)
• The first report was during 1887 termed as ‘brown bast’
• The disorder is not evident until the trees reach maturity for tapping almost 7 years after planting.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DISORDER

• This disorder occour universally irrespective of clone, age of tree, tapping system, nature of soil, climate, geography, seasons etc.
• Average incidence in Indian plantations is 5-15%
• The loss due to TPD on a single tree is approximately Rs. 6500 (average price of NR is Rs.78.82/kg), if a tree is affected early.
• Rubber is a perennial crop and any unproductive tree is a liability.
• Since trees are affected at random their removal and replanting is not practically feasible.