Gas exchange parameters for early selection of Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg

Abstract

Selecting high yielding progeny from Hevea breeding programmes is a money and time consuming approach and limits the progress of breeding, Girth, bark thickness, numberof lates vessel rings, latex vessel density and first few years yield of 7-8 year old Hevea budding are reported to be correlated to the yield potential. These parameters are used by some breeeders for a primary selection using smalle scale clone trials. Latex is biosythesised from sucrose in latex vessels and the potential of sucrose supply to latex vessels depends on CO2 assimilatory capacity of the canopy and the partitioning of assimilates. Attempts were made to estimate the mean CO2 assimilatory capacity of a healthy and a matur eleaf whole in year old Hevea clonal buddings. Preliminary studies show the mean CO2 assimilatory capacity of a whole and its ratio with water use efficiency value to be correlated qith yield potential. These observation suggest that effective selection of clones for further testing in large scale clone trials could be done on this basis, when buddings are around a year old.