Tripura rubber Photo Session

Natural Rubber latex

Aged rubber Plantation

Collection of Natural Rubber Latex

Affect of Cyclone on Rubber Trees

Cyclone Affected Rubber Trees

Natural Rubber Latex Collection

Checking of DRC of Natural Rubber Latex

Tapping of Rubber Trees

Rubber Plantation

Roadside Rubber Plantation

Rubber sheet making through Roller machine

Automatic Rubber sheet making machine

Tapping of Rubber Tree

How devastating the Cyclone was on Rubber plantation

     In recent times, there was heavy cyclonic storm that has caused many eventualities to the people of the state. It has damaged many houses and also the crops in the fields.
     Let us see the damage of cyclone to the rubber plantation. In the news paper, there was reporting of several damages of rubber plantation due to the cyclone that has come during this pre-monsoon shower.     Although, this pre-monsoon shower has given some relief to the paddy farmers whose crop in the field were in want of moisture.
     But the damage it has caused to the rubber growers is really a matter of concern owing to its severity of damage.
     In my own area, near to my house, 9 years old rubber plantation has met with 20 to 25 plant damage due to the cyclone although; in terms of plantation size it may be manageable to the plantation owner.
But to some growers it has become a misery for long term.
     For example one small rubber plantation owner has lost all his matured and tapable rubber trees leaving only 3 rubber trees in the plantation. It is stated that, the owner has just completed 3 years of tapping during this summer but this unfortunate cyclone has completely wiped out his rubber plantation.
     The size of the rubber plantation was 3 kani with 230 to 240 plants. I’ve already said in my earlier post regarding affect of cyclone to the rubber plantation.

Let us see the plantation details and gross profit earned so far:
a.    Area of plantation: 3 kani
b.    Cost of cultivation(approximately): ` 50,000 (in Indian currency)
c.    Age of plantation: 10 years
d.    Number of rubber trees: 230 to 240
e.    Tapping length till the occurrence of cyclone: 3 years
f.    Gross profit earned in this 3 tapping years: ` 2,31,300*(in Indian currency)

Let us see what happens if he restart new rubber plantation and gross loss till the new plantation reaches to the tapping stage of seven years.
a.    Area of  plantation: 3 kani
b.    Cost of cultivation: ` 70,000 ( in Indian currency)
c.    New plantation to reach tapping stage
(If he restart new plantation during 2013): 2020
d.    Gross profit he would have earned if re-plantation was not required
(2013 to 2020 for 7 years plus investment towards cost of cultivation): ` 609700*

     It’s clear that had the rubber plantation been not damaged by cyclone, he would have earned ` 5,39,700 (in Indian currency) within this 7 years period that he would have to wait for tapping his replanted rubber trees.
     That is to say that in this 7 years gestation period that resulted due to damage of rubber plantation has resulted in loss of ` 5,39,700 during the time of re-plantation to reaching the productive stage of rubber trees.
     Now, what can this small rubber grower do and what will be his option to overcome this unfortunate damage?
     Should he restart again or go for other viable option? Of course, it will be his personal choice or as the case may be.
     But this is quite indication that rubber plantation should be well equipped with contingency plan to face this type of eventualities in future. Natural calamity is unavoidable but some kind of mechanism to insulate the huge loss should be found out either thorough insurance mechanism or other form.
     Seasonal cyclone is likely to occur every year so is damage to the rubber plantation. Therefore, time has come for serious thought about the matter and sought out plan to deal with the eventualities.
** Average latex yield per tree=50ml/tree
     Alternate tapping days= 15 days tapping
     Total tapping months in a year=10 months
     Latex to dry rubber sheet conversion=3.5 liters to 1 kilogram and
    Average price of dry rubber sheet per kilogram=150 per kilogram
Affect of cyclone on rubber plantation

Opportunity to sale the Aged and Non-productive Rubber trees from the Plantation

  One prominent rubber grower of my area has recently sold his aged and non-productive rubber tree from his plantation. Although, total amount he received through selling of these aged and non-productive rubber trees could not be comparable to the other popular timber like teak wood but what he got is enough or even more than enough to raise new plantation after felling of these old rubber trees from the plantation.
  There was a time when people would think the faith of his/her old plantation that is to say that grower is some what worried where he would dispose his old rubber trees once the rubber tree attains in the declining productivity stage.
But now there’s no dearth of buyers for old and matured rubber trees, one public undertaking of the state is reported to be dealing with manufacturing of finished furniture from rubber wood is also said to be sourcing the rubber wood from the rubber growers of the state.
  In addition, there’s also mushrooming of private dealers who are in search for opportunity to purchase the old and non-productive rubber trees for further selling the product or timber or rubber tree log to the furniture makers available in the state. 
 However, let us see the plantation details of the rubber grower who recently sold his old and non-productive rubber trees to the local dealer.
 Plantation Details:
  a. Year of plantation: 1979
  b. Year of initiating of tapping: 1987
  c. Area of plantation: 3 ha.
  d. Varieties of rubber  tree planted: GT1* and RRIM-600*
  e. Numbers of standing rubber trees in the plantation: 1200
  f. Year in which tapping stopped: at year end of 2012
  g. Total tapping years: 25 years
  h. Average girth size(at ground level) of each rubber tree: 36 inches
 Sale details of the aged rubber tree from the plantation
  a. Dealer to whom rubber trees sold: Local dealer
  b. Sale price of rubber tree
    1. First lot of 600 rubber tree : 200000
    2. Second lot of 600 rubber trees : 350000(deal yet to be closed)
  c. Total sale price of 1200 rubber trees : 550000( including item no.2)
    The amount he earned through selling of old rubber trees as said may not be comparable to the other popular timber yielding tree of the state but again, what he received in return is well above the requirement for raising new rubber plantation on old 3 ha plots of land.
     The fact of the matter is; raising of scientifically managed 1(one) ha rubber plantation is well within the range of 110000(in Indian currency) therefore, raising of 3 ha new rubber plantation would require only 330000(3 ha X 110000). And, he is still left with a sum of rupees 220000(550000-330000) which he can expend in other family purposes.
 Although, right time for netter price realization is yet to come but price is expected to increase in future due to the demand of the finished rubber wood furniture. However, rubber growers should make it a point that they should have valid land document of their plantation that may be required in future for hassle free selling of their aged and non-productive rubber trees
      * Name of rubber variety referred by the grower may not be true due to lack of awareness in rubber variety by most of the rubber growers.
    

Natural Rubber Latex Processing

  A rubber grower from south district shares his  practical experience for rubber latex processing

Objective: Production of rubber sheet

1. Equipments required for rubber latex processing
   a. Alluminium dish / tray
   b. Bucket
   c. Measuring Cylinder
   d. Roller machine
   e. Seiving machine

2. Chemicals required for latex processing
   a. Formic acid
   b. Golden touch (Antifungal)
 
3. Process of mixing of water with latex
   a. Water quantity varies according to DRC content of latex
   b. Increased DRC means, more water requirement decrease or less DRC means, less water
   c. As a general rule, equal quantity of water is maxed with latex

4. Process of mixing of acid with latex
   a. 1st Acid is diluted by mixing of 5gm formic acid with 5 liter of water
   b. 200ml diluted acid is mixed in each tray containing latex
   c. In each tray 1.5 to 2 liters of latex is poured
   d. The mixed latex is kept for 20-24 hours for coagulation
   e. Quantity of latex per tray is maintained within the range of 1.5 to 2 liter for maintaining prescribed weight of dry rubber sheet (500 gm).

5. Making of rubber sheet
   a. After 20-24 hours, coagulum processed through 2(two) steps
   i. First coagulum is passed through plane roller machine for 3times which produces plain & smooth surfaced rubber sheet.
   ii. In second step, the smooth & plain rubber sheet is passed through grooved roller machine

6. Drying of rubber sheet
   a. There are two process of drying as follows:
   i. Sun dry
   ii. Smoke dry
   iii. Sun drying exclusively followed where there's no smoke house. In this case, 5-6 days sun drying is required depending upon the seasonal condition.
   iv. In case of smoke house drying, rolled sheet is kept for 24 hours in the shade later on, it is transferred to the smoke house for drying up to 3-4 days.

7. Few words on DRC of natural rubber latex in Tripura
   a. DRC content of latex during the month from June to August = 30-35 DRC
   b. DRC content of latex during the month from september to december = 25 to 30 DRC
   c. DRC content of latex during the month of January to May
          January = 20-25 DRC
         April to May = 35-38 DRC

N.B.: Field level practical knowledge may not reflect actual methods of latex processing.

Cover crop establishment in rubber plantation

    Tripura being the hilly state therefore, maximum rubber plantations have been coming up in the hilly areas. As rubber plantation is being taken up in the hilly and sloppy areas so there’s every chance for eroding of top soil due to monsoon rain. Soil erosion therefore, starts right from the field preparation to the initial period of raising rubber seedlings.
   As mentioned in the earlier post on cover crops(  benefit of cover crops), a simple step could of growing cover crops can substantially reduce the soil erosion which not only depletes the top soil but also the valuable soil nutrient for the rubber trees.
    Cover crops not only reduce the soil erosion, it also ensures the followings:-
    1.It enriches the organic matter content of the soil through debris of cover crops.
    2.It reduces the total cost of cultivation by suppressing the growth of weeds.
    3.Cover crops being leguminous fixes atmospheric nitrogen thereby increases the nitrogen content of the soil.
    4.Thus cover crops help in fast growth of the rubber seedlings in the plantation.
    There are various cover crops available in India, of these; followings are some of the cover crops which are widely adopted by the rubber growers of the country.
    Pueraria phaseoloides
    Characteristics of this cover crop are as follows:
    1.It’s fast growing cover crop
    2.It’s twiner-cum-creeper
    3.Once establishes, it effectively covers the ground.
    4.Take over the growth weeds in the plantation
    5.It can be established by both seeds and cuttings.
    Botany of the cover crop:
    1.This cover crop belongs to the family leguminosae
    2.Leaves are trifoliate, broad and pods are cylindrical.
    3.Flowering takes place during January to February
    4.Root system of this cover crop is of shallow type
    Mucuna bracteata   
    Characteristics of this cover crop are as follows:
    1.It’s fast growing legume
    2.It’s deep rooted
    3.This cover is found in the north-eastern region of India
    4.It grows well under shade and drought conditions
    5.It suppresses all weeds of the rubber plantation.
    6.It’s less palatable to cattle
    7.This cover crop retains high amount of moisture in the soil
    8.cuttings of this cover crop can also be used for propagation
    Botany of the cover crop
    1.It’s a member of subfamily fabaceae
    2.flowering of this cover crop takes place during January to February months
    3.Seeds of this cover crop are comparatively big in size
    Calopogonium mucunoides   
     Characteristics of this cover crop are as follows:
    1.It’s twiner-cum-creeper
    2.It’s root system is shallow type
    3.This cover crops establishes very fast
    4.It covers the ground within a short period of time
    Botany of the cover crop:
    1.It’s a member of the subfamily fabaceae
    2.leaves are trifoliate
    3.Flowers are very small and pale blue in color
    Methods of cover crops planting
    Cover crops are generally propagated through seeds. However, cover crops like Pueraria, Mucona and Calopogonium can also be propagated by cuttings.
    Seeds of cover crops are planted in following ways:
    1.Raised seed beds are prepared in between rubber rows.
    2.Seeds are sown in the raised seed beds
    3.Time of field preparation is after the onset pre-monsoon rains.
    Cutting of cover crops (Pueraria and Mucona ) are planted in following ways:
    1.stems of 60 to 100 cm in length, are collected during monsoon season
    2.cuttings are planted in beds
    3.rooted cuttings are transplanted in the field in the pit of 30x30x30cm
    Pre-sowing treatment of seeds
    The thick coverings of the seeds diminishes the over all germination percentage of the seeds sown therefore, to ensure better germination, cover crops seeds are treated before sowing to the field. The followings are the methods of seed treatment for ensuring better seed germination:-  
    1.Acid treatment
    2.Hot water treatment
    3.Abrasion treatment
    Sowing of cover crop seeds
    The pre-treated cover crop seeds are sown in the field on the raised seed bed. Some times, cover crops seeds are also sown after mixing with rock phosphate. The seeds are sown taking after the onset of the pre-monsoon rain. 
    Seed rate for 1(one) ha rubber plantation
    Seed rate of the Pueraria, Mucuna and Calopogonium are in the range of 4 to 5 kg per ha.
    Field management of cover crops
    The followings are taken up as part of the maintenance cover crops once the seed is germinated and young seedling started  establishing:-
    1.weeding is required in the initial stage of growth
    2.preventing the damage from cattle and other livestock
    3.preventing the cover crops to reach in the rubber seedlings
    These are the few aspects on cover crops and some steps in growing of cover crops in the rubber plantation. However, in actual field level practice, there’s some variation and modification from actual practice.
    Grower’s share of experience in cover crops
     Let us see what a rubber grower from south district is to share with respect to the cover crops in his area:
    In his opinion, in Tripura condition, rubber growers prefers mostly to the Mucona as it is said to be very fast in ground coverage compare to the Pueraria. It is also stated that nitrogen fixation in case of Mucona is more compare to the Pueraria.
    Mucona is less palatable to the cattle whereas, Pueraria is preferred by the cattle thereby chances for damage through cattle or other livestock are more in case of the Pueraria.
    Rubber growers also mostly prefer Mucona as it is locally available in the state. Per kilogram rate of Mucona is 300 rupees whereas, pueraria which is sourced through rubber board is within the range of the 300 to 400 rupees.
    However, seed rate of both Mucona and Pueraia is maintained at 5.0 kilograms per ha.
    In local condition, popular seed treatment method is through hot water. Seeds of the cover crop are soaked in the hot water of 50 degree centigrade for 6 hours before sowing to the raised seed bed in the field condition.
    However, local villagers who find it difficult to measure the temperature of the water follow different approach. What they do is; water is heated up to boiling point then the equal quantity of cold water is mixed with that hot water and seed is soaked in the mixed water for 6 hours before sowing to the actual field.
     The time of sowing is said to be best in the month of May and June with the assured the pre-monsoon and monsoon rain that reaches to the state in the month of June in every year.
    Although, some growers might be growing cover crops but percentage of adoption can’t be said as satisfactory as it is evident from the fact that there are lots of new rubber plantation wherein, no cover crops have been grown.
    Looking to the present condition, it could be assumed that awareness level in growing of cover crops is yet to reach to masses.
    Therefore, sensitizing the aspect may be required to bring positive change.
    N: B: For specific package of practices on growing of cover crops, concerned department may be referred.
   

Avoid these 2(two) steps for ensuring long term profit

        Two strange things have been observed with small holder rubber growers in my area one, initiate tapping before the rubber tree is matured enough to be tapped and two, fall the victim of easy money by leasing out of their rubber plantations to the dealer. The results of these two activities are noticeable within short term.
        The result, it’s myriad and irreparable. Let us see the result that I’ve seen with few plantation and small holder rubber growers.
Tapping before it’s fit to be tapped
        The standard and recommended methods well-known rubber growers follow with respect to  tapping age and girth of the rubber tree is 7(seven) years and 50centimeter. But the general tendencies, that I’ve observed with few small rubber growers is that they start tapping at the age of 6(six) years and girth of below 50 centimeter.
The immediate result is; less latex yield and tree growth is stunted and, tree growth deformed in the tapping panel.
Another misconception with rubber growers are that they start tapping even before reaching the  prescribed age of the rubber tree looking to the growth and girth of the rubber tree. What happen is; tree growth varies plantation to plantation depending upon the in situ soil fertility condition and proper nutrient management.
Rubber seedlings planted in the fertile land coupled with proper nutrient management ensures fast growth of the rubber tree but that does not alone qualify that the rubber tree is fit to be tapped. But few rubber growers don’t wait for the minimum required age and girth of the rubber trees.
Leasing out of rubber plantation to other
Of these two endeavors, this is one of the worst of its kind. This is due to the fact that people who lease out the plantation have no mercy on the rubber plantation. They lease out the plantation for a specific period so their goal is to extract as much is possible within that specified period. In doing so, they take up the followings;
    1. alternate tapping is hardly followed
    2. tapping depth is not maintained
    3. tapping panel is not maintained properly
    4. no nutrient management is maintained
   5. tapping haphazardly including in the branches
       Though the plantation owners earn some easy money from his plantation but by the time lease period is over what is left out is; unfit and non-tap able rubber trees in the plantation.
      Therefore, it could be advisable that growers should stick to the specific recommendation for tapping of rubber trees other wise, long term profit yielding tree will be become trees of misery.
      So far as leasing out of the rubber plantation is concerned, leasing should be executed (if unavoidable) to the known and trust worthy person to avoid the abuse of the rubber trees.
      N:B: For specific recommendation with respect to tapping procedure including age and girth of the rubber tree may be referred to rubber board.