Diseases of Fruit Plantation Medicinal and Aromatic Crops

Diseases of Rubber

Introduction

• Rubber plant (Hevea brasiliensis) is the most important commercial source of natural rubber, a product of vital importance recovered from its latex. Natural rubber is, however, found in the latex of over 895 species of plants belonging to 311 genera of 79 families.
  
• Hevea brasiliensis is a native of Brazil which was introduced to tropical Asia in 1876 through the Kew Gardens (England) with the seeds brought from Brazil by Sir Henry Wickhem. The tree is now grown in the tropical regions of Asia, Africa and America.
• The rubber tree is sturdy, quick growing and tall. Rubber trees have a well developed tap root and laterals. The bark on tapping yields latex. The cambium, in between the wood and the bark is responsible for the increase in growth of the tree including bark renewal.
Climate: Rubber can be grown from sea level to an altitude of 500 m in areas receiving a well distributed annual rainfall of not less than 200 cm and a warm, humid climate (21 to 35°C).
Soil: Rubber plants grow on many types of soil provided the soils are deep and well drained. The soils of the main rubber tract in India, confined to a narrow belt on the west of the western Ghats and running parallel to them .for about 400 km are highly weathered and consist mostly of laterite type. Well drained
alluvial and red loam soils are also suitable for rubber cultivation.
Major Diseases

1. Bird’s eye spot: Helminthosporium heveae Petch.
2. Powdery mildew: Oidium heveae
3. Leaf fall, Seedling blight and stem canker: Phytophthora palmivora Butler
4. Seedling blight: Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn
5. Pink disease: Corticium salmonicolor
6. Root rot disease: Phellinus noxious
7. Sooty mold: Meliola sp.
8. Leaf and seedling blight and wilt: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum