Indonesia is the second biggest natural rubber producer in the world with 84% of the total production area constituted by smallholder rubber. Rubber smallholdings tend to have lower productivity and quality than estate plantations. Interplanting of A.mangium within rubber plots may be an attractive option for smallholder rubber farmers in the tropics to increase their land productivity. However, because A. mangium is a very fast growing tree species, careful timing of planting and spacing arrangements of A. mangium is probably required to reduce light and water competition with rubber trees. Competition for water use between trees species in periods of low rainfall may be another constraint to growth of the rubber tree.
Publication year
2006
Authors
Wijaya T; Vincent G; van Noordwijk, M.; Khasanah, N.M.
Language
English
Keywords
intercropping, leaf canopy, monoculture, rubber, water management
Geographic
Indonesia
