Rubber Nursery Establishment 59s1w

SMIARC Technoguide A publication of Department of Agriculture RFU XI Southern Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center Bago Oshiro, Tugbok District, Davao City Brochure No. 17

November 2007

RUBBER NURSERY ESTABLISHMENT

I

n the culture of rubber, the raising of the seedlings in nurseries tending them carefully until the plants are ready for transplanting or budding and planting in the field is widely recognized. This has been viewed as more economical and convenient than direct field planting.

Nursery Site Selection 1. The area should be near a source of water. 2. Level with a loose, friable and fertile soil. It should be well drained with a water table of 1/2 meter below the surface. 3. The area is not shaded, it should be convenient and if possible able with transportation. 4. The site of nursery is near the area to be developed or planted. 5. Availability of source bush for scion. 6. Availability of manpower and propagator. 7. Market or demand of the planting materials.

Source and Selection of Rubber Seeds Seeds can be obtained from accredited rubber plantation and available during the months of August-October. Maximum seed viability is from 6-8 weeks, if packed in a damp mixture of charcoal powder and sawdust. Seeds should be heavy, fresh and shiny and the recommended clones for rootstock are TJIR 1, GT 1, PR 107, RRIM 501, and RRIM 605. Management of Germination Beds A. Preparation of Germination Beds Prepare a well cultivated garden bed at least 1 meter wide raised to 15 centimeter above the ground surface to facilitate drainage. Use fine river sand as germinating medium or aged sawdust to minimize root damage during transplanting. A one square meter of the germination bed needs 1,000 seeds. B. Seed Sowing Arrange the seeds in the single layer with flat grooved side facing downward. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of the material of the bed. Water the seeds at least once a day. Establish shading to the newly germinated seeds. Seeds start to germinate within 5-7 days. C. Transplanting Transplant germinated seeds before the young root is 2.5 cm long and prior to any shoot development. Carefully uproot the seedlings by hand and make sure that the cotyledons are intact. Place uprooted seedlings in a pail filled with water to avoid damage before transplanting to the 2

polybags. Maintenance of the Nursery A. Watering - Water the plants regularly. The availability of the constant supply is important both ground and polybag nurseries. Germination Stages of Rubber Seedling 1. Ungerminated Seed 2. Stage A – A radicle has just emerged 3. Stage B – Seed have develop spider root 4. Stage C - (needle like) Fully system but still without leaves 5. Stage D - It has leaves 6. Stage E - Seedling with cotyledon

developed

root

B.

Manuring - Apply fertilizer mixture two months from transplanting until 3-4 months before budding. A total of 1,000 kg NPK fertilizer mixture apply in 2-3 split doses for 1 hectare nursery is sufficient for optimum growth.

C.

Weeding - Regular and careful weeding should be undertaken at least once a month during the first few months.

D. Spraying - Spray chemicals when necessary. E. Budding - The brown and green budding are the two types of budding which are in current use. Steps in Budding 1. Wipe the base of the seedling stock. Make 2 parallel vertical incisions at 6 mm apart, 5 cm long and 2.5 - 5 cm from the ground. 2. Connect the bottom or top portion of lower upper of the parallel incisions with a horizontal cut. 3. Open the resulting flap. Partially cut the lower portion leaving onehalf of the flaps. 4. Insert the bud patch immediately and hold it firmly. 5. Got a bud patch from the bud stick that is smaller than the flap of the stock. Slowly strip the flap leaving the bud eye at the middle. 6. Do not expose the incisions. Wrap the incision starting from 3

the lower cut going upward using 0.2 mm plastic budding tape with 23 cm width. Make sure that the edges of the tapes overlap each other. 7. Open the tape after 21 days. A green bud patch which can be seen through the tape indicates successful budding. It is not successful when patch becomes black. F. Cutting Back 1. Cut back successfully budded plants at 3-5 cm from the bud eye (slide cutting) three weeks after budding. 2. Apply paint to the newly cut seedlings. 3. The bud often bear shoots at 7-10 days. 4. Second storey of growth will begin 6 weeks later. 5. A 6-8 week old budded seedlings (3 leaf storey) are ready for transplanting to the field. Budwood Multiplication Nursery Establishment Generally, the purpose of establishing a budwood nursery is for the multiplication of budwood for production of quality rubber planting materials. A. Site selection 1. The land should be chosen in the same way as that of the seedling nursery. 2. Preferably flat with a loose friable fertilized soil. 3. Near to water source. 4. Well drained with a water table of 1/2 m. B. Land Preparation The land should be cleared of all stumps, large roots and stones. Cultivate to a depth of 60 cm and prepare beds which allow 4 rows spaced 1 meter apart, leaving a 60 cm margin on both sides. C. Distance of Planting 1. Prepare beds/blocks with 4 rows spaced 1 meter at 120 cm apart between blocks. 2. The rows are spaced 1 meter apart and the planting points marked 120 cm apart preferably on the quincunx system. Such system may facilitate point to point attention and budwood cutting. 3. In case of a temporary nursery for a single crop of budwood, a distance of 30 cm x 30 cm or 60 cm x 60 cm according to the area available 4 can be adapted.

4. Wherever necessary a 30 cm wide drainage canal can also be provided adjacent the 60 cm margin. D. Planting 1. Planting the budwood nursery should be undertaken during the months of July-October. 2. Budded stumps/high stumps or sprouted seeds can be used as planting materials. 3. It is highly essential that the budwood from the nursery should be certified planting materials. 4. Important precautions to be undertaken. a. Only certified materials should be used for the initial introduction of a clonal material of the budwood nursery. b. Blocks of each clonal material are demarcated with the display of permanent boards showing the correct nomenclature of the clone. c. It is also necessary to prepare plan of the nursery with the planting points of each clone correctly numbered and keep safely for

5

future reference. E. After Care of Bud Graft 1. If the nursery is planted with germinated seeds for later budding, the young seedlings in the nursery should be cared until the plants are ready for budding. 2. All shoots emerging from the stocks should be pinch-off while still in a tender stage. 3. Pinched off lateral shoots up to height of 2 meters. 4. Maintenance of soil fertility by adequate manuring and protection of the plants from pests and diseases are the most important cultural operations required in budwood nursery. F. Fertilization 1. The aim of manuring budwood nurseries is to develop the maximum quality of good budwood per plant during the period of 10-20 months. 2. For young rubber trees (3-12 months after transplanting), the use of 65 grams of complete fertilizer (14-14-14) is recommended. 3. During the 2nd year, use 125 grams of 14-14-14 applied every 6 months or 2-3 months after cutting back of the budwood. 4. Apply fertilizer on the soil layer within 7.5 cm depth at 1540 cm from the base depending on the age and size of the tree. G. Weed Control 1. Clean-weed the budwood nursery at regular intervals in order to avoid competition between the plants and weeds. 2. Mulch the nursery with dried cutting weeds and other dry plant materials after every round weeding. H. Pests and Diseases Control No pests or diseases of serious nature requiring control

However, if pests or diseases has been observed, it is essential to identify the pest or to diagnose the diseases with the help of experienced planters or technicians to take steps in protecting the plants. I. Harvesting of Budwood 1. A 2.5 to 4 cm in diameter budsticks with brown bark an sufficient development of corky tissue that gives mature appearance are the best for convenient and successful bud grafting. 2. Cut off the leaves at the base of the leaf stalk about one week before cutting the budwood. 3. Normally, budwood is cut when brown bark reaches height of two meters 4. Cut budwood at 45 degree with a saw within 25-30 m of the union making sure that there will be 2-3 buds within a 10-15 cm of the cut and from which growth may be renewed. 5. Treat the cut end wit a tar or any disinfectant. 6. Allow two buds to develop an opposite side from the cut end of the stem after the first crop of budwood has been taken. 7. Do not allow the branches to grow under 2 meters height from the point of regeneration. 8. Allow about 15 cm length of stem to grow from the point of the last regeneration to become the next crop of the budwood. 9. Allow only one shoot to develop to have quality budwood to be maintained for 5-6 years. After this period, the nursery should be replanted with new rubber clones. J. Cutting Back of Budwood Nursery In Mindanao, budding can be done best from April to September. Old budwood are cut back for regeneration of fresh budwood.

References: Rubber Nursery Establishment brochure—DA RFU 9 Zamboanga Peninzula

For more information, please Dr. Alfredo M. Cayabyab Chief, Research Division DA-SMIARC, Bago Oshiro, Tugbok District, Davao City Telefax: (082) 293-0109 or (082) 293-0136 E-mail : [email protected] Produced by : Knowledge Management-Farmer Information and Technology Service Center (KMFITS),DA– SMIARC, Bago Oshiro, Tugbok District, Davao City

Department of Agriculture XI is a member of Southern Mindanao Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium