History of Rubber Plant

History of Rubber Plant

Brother/Sisters,.. this time I will devote the experience of reading and work during being the employee of PT.Perkebunan XI and the experiences that I have seen when traveling around several Asian countries on rubber plants. It is estimated that this paper will be continued. I start from the introduction to rubber

. Rubber plant have advantages when compared to other commodities, namely:
• Can be grown in various conditions and types of land, and still able to harvest the results even though the soil is not fertile
• Ability to establish forest ecology, which are generally found in the wetter areas of dry land, so the rubber is good enough to cope with critical land.

Can provide income for farmers who seek daily. Prospects price is also quite good, although often fluctuate / unstable. The history of Rubber plants derived from the Latin name Hevea braziliensis. Rubber plant originally found in the river valleys of the Amazon (Brazil). Christophel When Columbus discovered America in 1476, he was amazed to see the locals (Indians) to play the ball by using a material that can bounce when dropped to the ground. The ball is made of a mixture of roots, wood, grass, and materials (latex) which is then heated over a fire and rounded up into a ball. Long before this popular rubber plants, natives in various places such as the United States, Asia and South Africa use other trees that also produce sap. Is produced from plant sap Castillaelastica (family Moraceae). Plants are not used anymore because of less famous than the rubber plant. In Indonesia alone tried rubber plants cultivated in 1876 in the first planted in the Bogor Botanical Gardens.

Rubber tree can grow quite tall and large trunked. Mature tree height can reach 15-25 meters. The trunk usually grows straight and has branching above. Gum leaf consists of the main petiole and leaf stalk children. The length of the main leaf stalk children 3-20 cm. The length of the leaf stalk children 3-10 cm and the ends are nodes. Children elliptical-shaped leaves, elongated with tapered ends, edges flat and bare. Rubber seeds contained in each fruit space. The number of seeds usually have 3-6 pieces in accordance with the amount of space. Large seed size and have a tough skin. The color is dark brown with splotches patterned typical. Rubber plants are plants with properties that dicotyledonous plant root is a taproot (remember science lessons in elementary school, right?). This root is able to sustain the plant stems grow tall and big.

Classification of rubber plants are: Division: Spermatophyta; Sub Division: Angiospermae; Class: Dicotyledonae; Order: Euphorbiales; Family: Euphobiaceae; Genus: Hevea; Species: Hevea braziliensis.

Rubber plant has properties autumn leaves in response to unfavorable environmental conditions (lack of water / dry). The leaves will grow back at the beginning of the rainy season.

For growing well, rubber trees need:
• High places 0-200 meters above sea level
• rainfall 1500-3000 mm / year
• Dry Month less than 3 months
• The maximum wind speed is less than or equal to 30 km / h
• The slope of the land is less than 10%
• Soil texture consists of sandy loam and sandy clay
• The rocks on the surface and within a maximum of 15% of land
• Soil pH ranged from 4.3 to 5.0 (acidic conditions yes ...)
• Soil drainage is

• The rubber plant if scratched / slashed the bark will issue a white thick fluid called latex. The latex will dry and clump if left more than 2 hours. The new rubber trees may be harvested (to be taken latex) after 5 years of age and have a productive age 25 to 30 years. The latex was then be processed into new forms (finished goods). Latex is still in liquid form, the raw material rubber toy balloon products, chewing gum, rubber gloves, condoms and others. While the dried latex (freezes, often called Kompo) into raw material auto tires, conveyor belt, rubber protectors on the car body, and others

. That was a brief introduction of rubber plant. Please wait for the next article I’l post next. If you feel there is still a need to be questioned? I invite you to do so in the form of my comments at the end of this article. Your questions I will answer as much as possible (if I can afford it), and if I will trouble answering your question then please help my readers better understand others in order to add or correct my answer.