Latex harvesting technologies adapted to clones PB 217 and PR 107 of Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg. of the slow metabolism class and to the socio-economic context of Côte d'Ivoire

The modern management of rubber cultivation requires latex harvesting technologies which meet both high productivity and availability of tappers. To cope with that, a study was conducted for nine years in southwestern Côte d'Ivoire with clones of Hevea brasiliensis PB 217 and PR 107. Six latex harvesting technologies, S/2 d2 6d/7 nil stimulation ; S/2 d3 6d/7 ET2.5% Pa1(1) 8/y ; S/2 d4 6d/7 ET2.5% Pa1(1) 8/y ; S/2 d4 6d/7 ET2.5% Pa1(1) 12/y ; S/2 d5 6d/7 ET2.5% Pa1(1) 15/y ; S/2 d6 6d/7 ET2.5% Pa1(1) 18/y. During experimentation, the radial growth of trees was very good and yield per tree per tapping (g.t-1.t-1) increases with the reduction of tapping frequency. For the same tapping frequency, the increase in the number of annual stimulation leads to a gain in dry rubber yield per tree, per year and per hectare. Sensitivity to tapping panel dryness is low whatever the clone and the pattern. Technologies with high intensities of latex harvesting value better the rubber yield potentials of clones PB 217 and PR 107. They are more efficient when they are tapped once every three days, six working days over seven and stimulated eight times per year (S/2 d3 6d/7 ET2.5% Pa1(1) 8/y). These results confirm the belonging of PB 217 and PR 107 to the class of clones which have a slow metabolism. However, in a context of scarcity of tapping labour, two patterns can be selected: S/2 d4 6d/7 ET2.5% Pa1(1) 12/y and S/2 d5 6d/7 ET2.5% Pa1(1) 15/y.

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