Is the production of Natural Rubber from Hevea really threatened?

F. Rivano, C. R. Mattos, V. Le Guen, J. Guyot, D. Garcia

The Future of Natural Rubber

14-15 October 2010

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Natural Rubber Production

• Latin America produces only 2.5% of NR production, • South American Leaf Blight (SALB) is responsible of

this situation, representing the main obstacle of rubber tree development, because it’s the most destructive disease of the rubber tree,

• When the disease pressure is high, SALB drastically limits natural rubber production in this continent,

• SALB is only present in Central and South America, from latitude 18°North to 24° South,

• Introduction of SALB in Asia or in Africa would be a disaster for 20 millions of producers.

NR production in the world = 10 millions of tons, for 10 millions of ha

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Natural Rubber producing countries

Sources : IRSG

Asia : 93%

Africa : 4.5%

Latin America: 2.5%

SALB

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Microcyclus ulei

• The fungus causes successively severe shedding of young leaves during rainy season,

• It weakens and even kills the trees, • The rubber yield drops to 1 Ton/ha/year or less

instead of 2 Tons/ha/year in normal conditions, • Asian clones are highly susceptible: RRIM 600,

GT1, PB 260, etc.

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History : Hevea spp. -Microcyclus ulei

Source : Holliday, 1970

1902

1911

1913

1900

1927 -1933 1934 -1946

1935 -1940

1916

1910

1948 1952

1960

1930

1935 Future ?

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Risks of introduction of SALB in other continents? § Identified Pathways: ü Hosts: seeds, seedling, tissue culture, budwood/budded stump, fruit pods,

dried leaves, herbarium specimen, decorating material, logs, brown bark, lumber, wood chips, sheet rubber and cup lump.

ü Non host : plant materials, ü Non host products, ü Non plant materials (e.g. soil , stone), ü Conveyance / carrier

• The conclusion of the Pest Risk Analysis on SALB (meeting in China, august 2007) is that “the probability of establishment and spread within rubber growing areas should be considered HIGH if SALB is introduced into a suitable environment on appropriate host material.”

• Examples of other diseases introduction… 6

1892 1867

1883 1876 1861

1945

1951

1913

1904 1910 1972

1976-83

1979-81

Coffee Rust (Hemileia vastatrix)

wind

7

Wind

3 JUNE 1978

4

5 6 7

8

9

10

11

12

12 JUNE

Introduction of Sugarcane Rust into the Americas in 1978 (Puccinia melanocephala)

Cameroon

Dominican Republic

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Disease Control Methods Chemical control

• Good in nurseries, budwood garden, and young plantations,

• But it is costly, not sustainable, and not environmental friendly.

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Agronomic control: 1/2 Crown budding

Advantages: • Saving plantation of susceptible clones, • Using «resistant » clones for crown, • where the SALB pressure is high. Disadvantages: • High cost, difficulty to obtain 100% budded

trees, • Weakness of the crown because the

incompatibility of trunk - crown, • Negative effect on rubber production, if

different species between trunk and crown, • Vertical resistances are easily broken after a

few years, there is no warranty of resistance sustainability.

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Agronomic control: 2/2 Escape Areas

• Long dry season (4-5 months), defoliation and refoliation occurring during dry season, water deficit > 200 mm,

• Young leaves are not attacked during refoliation (with low RH),

• Asian clones (susceptible) are allowed in escape areas with security of higher yields (1.8 - 2 t/ha/year)

7 years GT1 plantation in Colombia

0200400600800

100012001400160018002000

6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33

Asian clones Brasilian clones

Kg/

ha/y

ear

Years

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Camargo et al.

2003

Escape areas were first identified in Brazil in 1981 (Ortolani et al.), then in Colombia (1997), Mexico (2000) and Ecuador (2006). 12

Current rubber development

Escape area is “one but not the only” alternative • Because it depends on …

– Land availability and price, – Labor availability, – Competition with other food crops and cattle, – Limiting factors for production in sub-optimal

areas: coldness, dryness, pests…

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Plant Breeding is the promising way for a sustainable control of SALB

Since 1928, different companies participated in breeding for SALB resistance : • 1945: Ford Motor Company planted 9’500 ha in Amazon valley in Brazil with Asian

and native wild clones, but SALB epidemics forced the Ford Company to abandon the plantations to the Brazilian government: 1st failure,

• 1947 - 1983, Firestone started a Breeding Program for SALB resistance with other institutes in Latin America, but stopped and left the continent: 2nd failure,

• From these experiences , few clones issued and recommended for planting in Latin America, with low productivity and broken resistance to SALB.

• 1982: CIRAD started a research program on SALB in French Guiana, • 1980-1984 : Michelin developed in Brazil new rubber plantations in:

– Mato Grosso (Escape area) – Bahia (High SALB epidemic area)

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1992: Cirad and Michelin unified their experience for a Cirad-Michelin-Brazil project (CMB) to create productive and SALB resistant clones, and clones adapted to sub-optimal areas.

Mapa América do Sul político

PEM PMB

CIRAD-Kourou CMB Project

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The plantation of Michelin in Bahia is probably the most severely SALB affected plantation of Brazil we know. A very severe incidence of SALB is observed and the diversity of the pathogen is very complex: many virulences are present in this plantation with a high agressiveness of the isolates. In 2010, 64 different races have been identified among 159 isolates (C. Mattos).

Genetic ressources for SALB resistance

Hybrid genotypes Hight variability of yield

weak resistance (r)

Wild genotypes Very low yield

Sustainability of resistance was not verified (r or Rs)

Commercial and usual genotypes

High yield = P

High susceptible S

Elite Hybrid genotypes Medium yield

Sustainable resistance (Rs)

Wild or half-domesticated material (Germplasm = 1000 clones) Domesticated material

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Seedlings Selection Trial

Small Scale Clonal Trial

Large Scale Clonal Trial

Clonal recommendation

Hand pollinations Year 0

Year 1 to 4

Year 5 to 11

Year 12 to 22

~60.000/year

~3000/year

~100/year

~10/y

~3 17

SALB breeding program diagram Elite Hybrid genotypes

Medium yield Sustainable resistance (Rs)

Commercial and usual genotypes

High yield = P High susceptible S

Hand pollination in rubber tree

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Development of pollinations for 17 years of the CMB breeding program

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Number of seedlings produced from 1993 to 2009

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Selection for SALB area

Selection for sub-optimal Area

Selection for next SALB resistant parents

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CMB Breeding trials in 2010 (since 1992) Trial Number of

trials Area (ha) Number of

progenies Number of genotypes

Number of clones

Number of selections

/year Seedling Selection Trials

18 16.4 302 34.224 -

Small Scale Clone Trial

12 64.7 85 - 1414 100

Large Scale Clone Trial

2 18.3 - - 49 10-15

Monoclonal Trial in 2010

1 15 - - 3 3-4

Total 33 115

Variety protection (UPOV)

CMB clones development

Shortly

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Seedlings Selection Trial

Hand pollinations Year 0

Year 1 to 4

Small Scale Clonal Trial

Large Scale Clonal Trials

Clonal recommendation (3 clones)

Year 5 to 11

Year 12 to 22

~60.000/year

~3000/year

~100/year

~10/y

~3

SALB breeding program diagram 50 Elite Hybrid genotypes

Medium yield Sustainable resistance (Rs)

Commercial and usual genotypes

High yield = P High susceptible S

15 years

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13 CMS clones International network

International network of 13 CMS Clones 1/2

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13 resistant clones ( 13 CMS clones) with medium production were selected:

CD 1174 FDR 4575 CDC 56 FDR 5240 CDC 312 FDR 5283 MDX 607 FDR 5597 MDX 624 FDR 5665 PMB 1 FDR 5788 FDR 5802

Inoculation in vivo of conidia of Microcyclus ulei

International network of LSCT with 13 CMS Clones (1/2)

1. Brazil: (7 trials) – Acre, Rio Branco : Embrapa(02/2008) – Mato Grosso, Itiquira: PEM (12/04-12/2007) – Rio de Janeiro, Silva Jardim: Pesagro

(05/08) – Bahia, Porto Seguro: Fazenda Batalha

(03/2005), – Bahia, Pr. Tancredo Neves: Casa familiar

Rural (06/2007), – Bahia, Igrapiuna: PMB (06/2000-06/2004) – Espirito Santo, Pinheiros (04/2007)

2. Other America’s Countries: – Ecuador : 2 trials (02/2006 & 01/2007) – Colombia: 1 trial (07/2007) – (Guatemala) – (Peru)

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FX 3864

CDC 312

FDR 5788

Large Scale Clonal Trial in Bahia-Brazil

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Fisher block design: 8-10 clones (treatments) 4 replicates 80 trees/clone/replicate

CDC 56 MDF 180

3 years LSCT in Santo Domingo, Ecuador

FDR 5788 CDC 312

SALB Resistance of CMS clones in Latin America’s network

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Clones ECUADOR BRAZIL

CDC 312 HR R

FDR 5788 R R

CDC 56 HR R

MDF 180 HR R

FDR 5597 HR R

FX 3864 S HS

FX 4098 S HS

HR: Highly Resistant; R: Resistant; S: Susceptible; HS: Highly susceptible FX 3864: control

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

2 3 4 5 6 7 Year

cm

CDC312 - BR FX3864 - BRFDR5788 - BR MDF180 - BRCDC312 - EQ FX3864 - EQFDR5788 - EQ MDF180 - EQ

Annual circumference of CMS clones in Ecuador and Brazil

ECUADOR

BRAZIL

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

2006-2007* 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010

Kg/ha/year

FDR5788 PMB1 CDC312 MDF180

Production of CMS clones in LSCT, in Bahia-Brazil (dry rubber)

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International network of 13 CMS Clones 2/2

3. Quarantine was done in Montpellier France in 2005, before sending to: • Africa: Ghana (2007) • Asia: Malaysia (2008) and Cambodia (2009) -> Objective: • To assess this material regarding production and disease resistance

(Corynespora, Oïdium, etc) in traditional areas of culture, without SALB, • To provide an alternative in case of introduction of Microcyclus ulei.

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Quarantine station in Montpellier - France Objective: Transfer and Evaluate 13 CMB Resistant Clones in Asia and Africa

CD 1174 FDR 4575 CDC 56 FDR 5240 CDC 312 FDR 5283 MDX 607 FDR 5597 MDX 624 FDR 5665 PMB 1 FDR 5788 FDR 5802

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Conclusions • CMB breeding program is today the only program offering a

sustainable alternative to SALB risk. • The high number of progenies and the large genetic diversity

of the genitors provide interesting materials to be selected for SALB resistance, production and adaptation to sub-optimal areas.

• An international network of trials for testing new genotypes, respecting international quarantine orientations, is essential to offer new clonal alternatives for rubber development in high-SALB and low-SALB areas, and possibly in case of SALB introduction in the other continents.

Thank you for your attention!

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