Rubber Plantation Business

by Denis Tifanny

  Table 3.6 - Plant Fertilization Dosage Before production for Latosol Soil

  Age

  (Month)

  Fertilizer Type (g/tree/application)

  Urea

  SP3

  KCl

  3

  21.73

  28.78

  15

  9

  43.47

  57.56

  30

  15

  65.32

  86.35

  45

  21

  86.95

  115.13

  60

  27

  108.69

  143.90

  75

  33

  130.43

  173.51

  90

  39

  173.91

  219.24

  120

  45

  217.39

  225.75

  150

  51

  250.86

  287.82

  180

  Selection and Thinning

  Selection of healthy and homogenous trees before mature tapping needs to be done. Trees that remain are the ones that are healthy and not attacked by disease. Process of thinning is done by dismantling trees that are not healthy and attacked by disease.

  Usually from 476 seedlings planted only 95% remains which are 452. While the one that are thinned can reach about 5% until the healthy ones are 425 trees. From this predicted total number of trees that can be tapped are about 400 trees only.

  Maintaining Cover Crops

  Cover crops also need to be fertilized. Fertilizer that is usually used for cover crops is green fertilizer Leguminosae type. Other than green fertilizer, other fertilizer can also be used. Other than being fertilized, cover crops need to be cleaned at its top when the plant has already show increase in growth. Cleaning is done manually with the help of parang.

  Maintaining Plant after Production

  On the 5th year of rubber plant life cycle, rubber is free from composition I, when a rubber plant is starting to be called producing plant. Producing plant is called composition II. During this period, rubber plant will be tapped. However, sometimes few rubber plant age 4 years still can’t be tapped.

  According to the theory, rubber plant that can be tapped or the age of 4 years has not reaches its 100% potential. Usually from the 476 trees there are only about 400 trees that are mature.

  In PTP XVIII, producing plant is categorized into 2 types, which are delayed producing plant and real producing plant. Delayed producing plant includes abnormal plant, plant that has late growth and plant that is just attacked by disease. With the presence of these problems, FTP XVIII holds improvement to obtain simultaneously tapping mature plants.

  To get uniformed rubber production, every tree with suitable average latex needs to be taken care of nicely. The purpose of this is to prevent erosion, strengthen cover crops and prevent parasite and disease attack that causes loss. Plant treatment includes weeding, fertilization, and the control of parasite and disease.

  Weeding

  Weeding is done manually, chemically, biologically and combination of chemically-biologically. Manual way usually uses parang or hoe. It can only be applied if rubber plantation is not huge because as plantation gets bigger it uses a lot of man power.

  Weeding chemically is used a lot by rubber plantations because it is more practical and effective. However, the use of herbicide has to be watched so that it won’t destroy the plant. Usually herbicide that is used is these 2 types, contact herbicide and systemic herbicide. Contact herbicide has the characteristic of killing weed by direct contact with the weed such as Gramoxone and Parasol. Systemic herbicide has the characteristic of killing weed by letting the parts of weed such as stomata to absorb it. Dosage used is according to the instruction stated on the package, don’t over-dose because it can kill cover crops too. The use of herbicide is done 4-6 times a year.

  For cover crops, weeding is done manually, which is by clearing away with sickle and parang. These cover crops have to be let alive because it is useful as the nitrogen absorber. Bushes and shrubs are difficult to eradicate chemically. It can only be eradicated manually. Instruction is by uproot the roots of the bushes and shrubs then it is burnt. Tools that can be used are hoe and hook.

  Fertilizing

  Shortage of nutrient on rubber plant at essentially closely related with the needs of nutrient for growth and tapping. Signs for shortage of nutrient can be seen from the appearance of the plant. To save costs, number of tree is very important to determine the amount of fertilizer used.

  Good trees to be tapped are only the one fertilized and fertilizer used determined by number of trees. On rubber, normal fertilizer used is simple fertilizer, while complex fertilizer is rarely used. Methods of fertilizing that can be learned are such as:

  Fertilizer is spread around the tree with a distance of 1-1.5 m with channel made beforehand.

  Fertilizer is spread using hooves system. This method is the same as the one above but this is semi-circle.

  Fertilizer is spread at the array between the rubber trees, which are 1.5m from tree. Before, the land needs to be digging so that fertilizer can be embedded in the soil.

  Fertilizer is spread between arrays and rows. Soil between rows need to be really free from weed.

  Fertilizing period can’t be determined because each area in the world has different characteristics and climates. While provision of fertilizer needs to be prepared so that it will not be kept until the next fertilization. Especially nitrogen have rapid backward measure because of it, fertilizer can only be used once only. Provision of fertilizer is done 2 times a year with dosage according to soil type, to make it clear look at the table below;

  Table 3.7 - Plant fertilizing dosage for producing plant for latosol and red yellow podzolic soil

  Soil Type

  Fertilizer type (g/tree/application)

  Urea

  SP36

  KCl

  Latosol

  280.86

  219.24

  180

  Red-Yellow Podzolic

  280.86

  532.89

  156

  Pest Disturbance

  Pests are growth inhibitors, plant killers. Losses caused by pests have a significant value in terms of economics. Examples of pests that attack rubber plants are insects, mammal and snails.

  i.Pests

  a)Insects

  i)Termite

  Symptoms

  The ends of the young rubber plant are broken. The plants have visible hoist scars. Inside of the tree trunk also have a big hole from the top the tip of the young root. Plants root is discontinuous sometimes it does not even have a root end.

  Cause

  These symptoms are caused by termite attack (Micro termes inspiratus, Captotermes curvignatyhus). Termite is an insect that is very social and have life in a colony. Life level of termite is the queen and the male for the reproduction and huge number of soldiers. The queen’s whole life can reproduce millions of eggs. Normal termite built its nest at place below the soil with curvy caves. Its nest is made from mixed wood pieces and soil. In that nest the queen lay its egg in large amount.

  Termite’s food is plant wood that’s already dead and still growing. Termite usually cause damage on rubber plant by broaching from tip of young shoot till its root, so that grafted end can’t grow anymore. Termites also eats the roots until the plants growth suffered and died. Worst attack happened to rubber plantation that has a single and branches of roots.

  Control

  Control and prevention of termite attack is done by technical culture, mechanical and chemical. By technical culture, termite can be controlled by cleaning the plantation from the stump to the root remnants. Other than that, tip of young shoot until top of grafted part can be closed with plastic sheet so that termite can’t grow. By mechanical culture termite can be controlled by baiting it to get out of the young shoot. Baits that a
re usually used are cassava and sungkai. The bait is put 20-30 cm from young shoot as much as 2-3 stem. Termite is more attracted to the bait than the young shoot, so the rubber tree is free from attack.

  With chemical, termite can be killed by insecticides like Furadan 3G, Agrolene 26 WP 0.2%, Lindamul 250 EC 0.2%. Steps of using them is, Furadan 3G as much as 5-10g/tree is spread around the rubber tree or sprayed with Agrolene solvent and Lindamul.

  ii.Snail

  Symptoms

  Young leaves and plants in the nursery area are damaged and detached. Detached part of the leaves have a shiny silver channel. Near shady places, a huge amount of egg can be found.

  Cause

  The cause of the above symptoms is snail (Achatina fullica). This animal’s body is jelly-like and has its house shaped spiral that is hard to cover and protect its body. During rainy season, snail’s population increases. Snail’s egg are usually put at shady places. Snail’s characteristic is hermaphrodite.

  Control

  Pest control can be done mechanically and chemically. Mechanically, snail can and its eggs are gathered and killed then burnt. Chemically, snail can be controlled by dissolving metaldehyde 5% in bran or can also be given mixture of Meradex and cement, chalk and barn with ratio 2:3:5:16. This mixture is moisten before used in field. Other than material above, fertilizer such Temik 10G as around the plants can be spread to kill snail.

  iii.Mammals - Boar

  Symptoms

  Young leaves of the plant are not shaping. Even the tree without leaf can be seen. Bark and stem of young plant looks sliver and land around it is uncovered.

  Cause

  The cause is boar with the scientific name of Sus Verrucosus. It is a very disadvantageous pest because it is everywhere in Indonesia. Rubber plantations that often attacked are the ones near jungle or bushes, it also attack all kinds of plant. Boar usually lives in a group in the jungle or bushes. Its base is made out of bushes that are gathered to become big. Few times in a year boar reproduce and every time it reproduces around 4-10 baby.

  During daytime this animal hides in their home and during night time it looks for food at fields, yards, and plantations.

  Control

  Control and prevention of pest should be done together and integrated by driving it out, make border, captured and poisoned.

  i)Driven Out

  Boar is driven out by ringing or hitting the clappers or drum. This will work because boars are sensitive to sound which will make them run out of the plantation. Putting tigers waste on the road that boars usually pass can also drive boars away. Other than tiger’s waste stuff like perfume, camphor, pig oil mixed with human hair or mixture of sulfur or red onion with lime can be used. Boar can also be driven out by placing pieces of boar caught and out it on trees around the road that boars usually pass. Another way is to clear all the bushes in the plantation.

  ii)Border Making

  Boar is blocked by putting bamboo fence or wood fence as high as 1.5m around the plantation. To prevent damages to the fence, the bamboo or wood of these fence are put together tightly. If bamboo fence is not effective then the fence can be made by cement and brick with thickness of 15 cm and minimum height of 1.5m. This fence is more effective and expensive. Boar can be stopped by making drain around the plantation too. The drain’s depth should be 1.5m with the width of its lower surface 1.5m and its top surface 2m. this prevents boar from coming because if the boar fall into the drain, it can’t get out anymore which makes it easy to catch, so boars avoids deep drains. To make sure that boar don’t come into the plantation, both fence and drain should be made.

  iii)Captured

  Boar can be captured by hunting it down using fire and sharp weapons such as spear and arrow. They also can be captured by snaring them using metal wire and put it on the road that the boars usually pass. The snares are made to trap boars as it made contact to it. Boars can also be captured using baits such as banana, jackfruit, or smelly fish. The hook will be tangled with the wire that is attached to the tree. It is made so that when the bait is eaten the animal that ate it will not survive. Another way is capturing it using pitfalls. These pitfalls are out at places that boars usually pass with the depth of 1.5m, length 2-2.5m. On top of the hole put covers that looks natural and on top of this cover bait is put. Boar can also be captured using a trap box. Similar to the idea of a pit fall but a box is used to trap it.

  iv)Poisoned

  Boar can also be poisoned using a traditional poison that can be made using 1kg mixture of seashell, 1kg juice of fresh tube root and 1kg grated forest yam. Mixture is put inside the bamboo or I can be fermented first for about 2-3 days in soil. After that the poison is mixed with the bait and put at place where boars usually pass.

  Boar can also be poisoned using chemical such as zinc phosphide, phosphorus paste and insecticide Temik 10G. Zinc phosphide or phosphorus paste should be out in capsule or plastic ampoules. Each ampoules includes 4-5g of zinc phosphide or 10g of phosphorus paste. This poison is then put in the bait. The bait will be cassava, sweet potato, jackfruit, etc.

  Disease Disturbance

  Diseases often cause heavy damage to rubber plants. Every year loss that appears can reach about millions of rupiah for every hectare of the rubber plantation. Most of that loss is not caused by damage on rubber plant only, but also the cost of disease control that is very expensive. Cause of disease that can be commonly seen is mushrooms. While bacteria and fungi is rarely seen and do not cause heavy damage. So solve this loss the way of controlling will have to have a gainful strategy. Which means prevention is better than cure.

  i.Root Disease – White Root Disease

  Symptoms

  Plants leaves will turn pale yellow with its tip folded inside. The leaves might wither and the branches will die. A sick plant will be producing flower, leaves and fruit early. At root white root mushrooms can be found and quite thick. These mushrooms stick strongly to the root that if you pull it the tree will be damaged. The root of the sick plant will rot, soften and turns brown.

  Cause

  The cause of this disease is the mushroom with a scientific name of Rigidoprus lignosus. These mushrooms shape its body like a cap for the root, plant stump and base of stem. The body of the mushroom is yellowish-orange coloured and at the surface it has small holes where the spores are. This disease is a very dangerous disease for rubber business. This disease has high intensity of death where a rubber plant age 3 years will die in 6 months and a rubber plant age 6 years die in 1 year. However the plant’s death depends on how much disease it carries below the soil.

  White root disease often cause damage at places with sandy and loose soil. Also the place that used to plant plants with this disease might be that disease’s nest. The disease’s transmission happens by contact between rubber tree roots with the remnants of old plant roots or sick plant. Apart from contact, transmission can also happen because of the wind blow spreading the spores. As the spores made contact to the tree it will grow and form colonies.

  Control

  There are few ways of controlling white root disease, these are the following:

  1)Remnants of roots or plant stubble in plantation area are the place for mushrooms to grow, therefore it needs to be get rid of or burnt. If this can’t be done on the entire plantation then at least 1 meter away from the planting hole needs to be clean.

  2)Planting good cover crops. Cover crops such as nuts are recommended, nuts like Pueraria javanica, Centrosema Pubescene, Calopogonium mucunoides, Psophocarpus palustris or Calopogonium caemleum. These type of plants is used to speed up the activity of microbe which increase the speed of root remnants or plant stubble to rot. It will also indirectly press the growth of white root mushroom.

  3)Planting healthy seedlings that are free from white root disease. If seedling is suspected to be carrying this disease, then this seedling will need to be dipped into copper sulphate pentahydrate solution before planted.

  Checking for sick
plant

  Checking sick plant can be done in a lot of ways, these are some of it:

  1)Check for plant canopy throughout the rubber plantation area is done 4 times a year, started since plant age 6 months. While checking with mulch is deon 2 times a year during the start and end of rainy season.

  2)Plant that has already been treated is checked back after 6 months of medication by opening the root’s neck. If thread of the mushroom at the root section that is found out not covered by medicine, then medication should be done again. If after 2nd check that is done 12 months later still have mushroom thread, then treatment/medication must be done again.

  ii.Stem Disease – Spotted Cancer

  Symptoms

  Early symptoms are hard to detect because it starts below the bark. If the skin is scraped, sick bark can be detected as a reddish-brown colour is seen. At the sick part, latex fluid will come out as a reddish-brown coloured and a bad smell.

  Cause

  The cause of this disease is mushroom Phytophthora plamivora, it has white hyphae threat which is not visible with bare eyes. It can cause death to rubber plants, especially to plants that is at high moisture and wet climate places. Transmission happens through wind and rain as the spores spreads.

  Control

  1)GT 1 should not be planted at places that are disease-prone.

  2)Distance between plants should not be too close.

  3)Cover crops and weed should be cleaned to lower the moisture.

  4)Swollen part is cut until all the swollen part is gone. The cut needs to be put Difolatan 4F 3% with brush, then it is covered with petroleum (shell otina compound) to speed up the recovery of tree bark. Part of wood that is cut will be covered by tar.

  Checking for sick plant

  1)Check for plant is done once a week, starting at the starting of rainy season, especially at the plantations that has high moisture or often attacked by spotted cancer.

  2)Treatment needs to be done immediately if at stem or branches produces reddish-brown coloured latex that has an awful smell.

  3)Plant that has already been treated still needs to be checked once a week. If attacked is expended, skin that is sick is cut and that cut skin is destroyed the cut on the plant is put Diafolatan 4F 3%.

  iii.Tapping Field Disease – Line Cancer

  Symptoms

  The starting of attack is the sign of thin white membrane and not that clear covering tapping field. If scratch, black or brown plumb line can be seen. This line will group together and form a black route. At this part brown coloured latex that smells will come out. Breakdown of tapping field will slow down the bark recovery.

  Cause

  The cause of this disease is fungus Phytophthora plamivora that will also cause the spotted cancer. This disease causes damage in the form of a swell or curves at previous old tapping field; therefore the next tapping is really hard to do.

  Line cancer can be found at moist and wet climate places and places with tapped fields too close to the ground. Transmission happens through the spread of spores by wind and rain.

  Control

  1)PR 107, PR 261, LBC 1320, WR 101 should not be planted in high moisture and wet climate area as it is prone to this disease. PR 300, PR 303 can be planted at this place.

  2)Rubber plants should not be planted to close to each other.

  3)Excessive cover crops should be cut and get rid of the weed growing.

  4)Fertilization needs to be done to speed up the tapped skin recovery.

  5)Tapping can’t be too deep.

  6)Avoid tapping close to ground.

  7)Treatment using fungicide; Dipolatan 4F 2%, Difolatan 80 WP 2%, Demosan 0.5% and Actidione 0.5% will be applied as long as 5-10 cm below tapping.

  Checking for sick plant

  Check is done every tire of tap during the rainy season, especially to plantation that has high moisture and often attacked by line cancer. Treatment is done immediately if disease’s symptoms are seen. Plants this are treated are checked every week. If the bark is swollen, then treatment is done by putting Difolation 4F 2% at swollen part.

  iv.Leaf Disease – Colletotrichum Disease

  Symptoms

  Young leaves looks supple and black coloured, wrinkled, its tips are dead and rolled then withers. Brown or black spots can be found on old leaves then it will become holes, wrinkled and part of its tip withered. Buds, branches and fruits shows symptoms like the leaves.

  Cause

  The cause of this disease is fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporoides, its spore produces a lot of spotted leaves in moist condition or rain. Fungus hyphae threads are not clear if seen with bare eyes. This fungus caused the leaves to wither and its growth delayed. Plantation that has plant that just have now leaves during rainy season. Apart from that, plantations at high places with high rainfall often get very badly attacked. Disease transmission is done by spreading its spore by wind and rain.

  Control

  1)Plantation at high places and high moisture can’t plant PR 225, PR 300, PR 3o3, however BPM 1, LCB 1320, PR 261, AVROS 2037, GT 1 can be planted.

  2)To speed up the shaping of new leaves, extra fertilizer is put several times intil the leaves turns green.

  3)Grafting is done on the height of 2m from ground surface when the plant is 2-3 years in field.

  4)Leaves are withered first with the spray of cocdylic acid.

  5)To protect the plant, fungicide Dithane M-45 0.25%, Manzate M-200 0.2%, Cobox 0.5%, or Cupravit 0.5% is put as much as 5 sprays using hose once a week. Cobox and Cupravit is not recommended to be used on producing plant as it lowers down the quality of latex.