Advances in Natural Rubber Production

Abstract This paper will attempt to highlight the various advances made to date in the production and processing of natural rubber (NR). The commercially planted rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis, can yield as high as 3,000 kg of rubber per hectare in contrast to the 500 kg rubber per hectare obtained from the wild Amazonian rubber trees. The high yield of commercial rubber trees is attributed to the successful breeding program, efficient development of agronomic and crop management practices and proper exploitation systems. Today, the Hevea brasiliensis trees not only contribute to the supply of world natural rubber, but also to the ever increasing demand of tropical timber. Latex extracted from the rubber tree is processed to meet the specific requirements of the consumers. In the area of processing, emphasis is on the production of NR as an industrial raw material with improved quality and consistency. Efforts are also placed on processing efficiency, optimum product mix and production of value added modified NR such as epoxidized and deproteinized NR. The processing activities also take into consideration the control of processing effluent with appropriate effluent treatments or conversion of effluent to useful materials.

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Transcriptome analysis of Pará rubber tree (H. brasiliensis) seedlings under ethylene stimulation

BMC Plant Biology ◽

10.1186/s12870-021-03196-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yoshimi Nakano ◽

Nobutaka Mitsuda ◽

Kohei Ide ◽

Teppei Mori ◽

Farida Rosana Mira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Cell Wall ◽

Natural Rubber ◽

Management Practices ◽

Rubber Tree ◽

Raw Material ◽

Tree Seedlings ◽

Cell Wall Formation ◽

Wall Formation ◽

Ethephon Treatment

Abstract Background Natural rubber (cis-1,4-polyioprene, NR) is an indispensable industrial raw material obtained from the Pará rubber tree (H. brasiliensis). Natural rubber cannot be replaced by synthetic rubber compounds because of the superior resilience, elasticity, abrasion resistance, efficient heat dispersion, and impact resistance of NR. In NR production, latex is harvested by periodical tapping of the trunk bark. Ethylene enhances and prolongs latex flow and latex regeneration. Ethephon, which is an ethylene-releasing compound, applied to the trunk before tapping usually results in a 1.5- to 2-fold increase in latex yield. However, intense mechanical damage to bark tissues by excessive tapping and/or over-stimulation with ethephon induces severe oxidative stress in laticifer cells, which often causes tapping panel dryness (TPD) syndrome. To enhance NR production without causing TPD, an improved understanding of the molecular mechanism of the ethylene response in the Pará rubber tree is required. Therefore, we investigated gene expression in response to ethephon treatment using Pará rubber tree seedlings as a model system. Results After ethephon treatment, 3270 genes showed significant differences in expression compared with the mock treatment. Genes associated with carotenoids, flavonoids, and abscisic acid biosynthesis were significantly upregulated by ethephon treatment, which might contribute to an increase in latex flow. Genes associated with secondary cell wall formation were downregulated, which might be because of the reduced sugar supply. Given that sucrose is an important molecule for NR production, a trade-off may arise between NR production and cell wall formation for plant growth and for wound healing at the tapping panel. Conclusions Dynamic changes in gene expression occur specifically in response to ethephon treatment. Certain genes identified may potentially contribute to latex production or TPD suppression. These data provide valuable information to understand the mechanism of ethylene stimulation, and will contribute to improved management practices and/or molecular breeding to attain higher yields of latex from Pará rubber trees.

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Obtaining of hairy roots cultures of kok-saghyz and analysis of the content of natural rubber

Biomics ◽

10.31301/2221-6197.bmcs.2020-36 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 449-454

Author(s):

B.R. Kuluev ◽

G.R. Gumerova ◽

A.V. Knyazev ◽

Kh.G. Musin ◽

A.V. Chemeris

Keyword(s):

Natural Rubber ◽

Hairy Roots ◽

Industrial Production ◽

Hevea Brasiliensis ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Hexane Extract ◽

Raw Material ◽

Stress Factors ◽

Special Equipment ◽

High Quality

Kok-saghyz (Taraxacum kok-saghyz Rodin) is an alternative to Hevea brasiliensis source of high quality natural rubber that is able to grow in temperate climates. However, the field cultivation of kok-saghyz is associated with a number of problems, such as the need for seed stratification, seedlings that are very sensitive to stress factors, laboriousness in the fight against weeds and pests, uneven maturation of seeds, the lack of special equipment for sowing, collecting roots and seeds. In this regard, the use of hairy roots of kok-saghyz as a raw material for obtaining natural rubber seems to be promising. The aim of our work was to obtain cultures of hairy roots of kok-saghyz and to determine the content of natural rubber in them by the hexane method. In the course of the work, 10 lines of hairy roots of kok-saghyz were obtained, capable of growing in isolated cultures. It has been shown that these hairy roots accumulate an average of 7.5% hexane extract (rubber-like substances) per dry weight, which is about 1.5 times more than the roots of field kok-saghyz. Our data indicate that the use of the hairy roots of kok-saghyz is promising for the industrial production of natural rubber.

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Eight cycles of half-sib family recurrent selection to improve rubber yield in russian dandelion

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.1139/cjps-2021-0134 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

David Wolyn ◽

Gregory Innes

Keyword(s):

Natural Rubber ◽

Phenotypic Variation ◽

Hevea Brasiliensis ◽

Recurrent Selection ◽

Rubber Tree ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Selection Response ◽

Root Dry Weight ◽

Selection For

Russian dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz) produces natural rubber which can complement the world’s supply of this strategic commodity, derived mainly from the Para rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis). Four cycles of half-sib family recurrent selection conducted previously in russian dandelion improved rubber yield nearly 50%. The objectives of this research were to continue selection for four additional cycles and evaluate progress from eight generations of breeding, and assess the potential for future gains. Rubber yield increased from 0.205 to 0.378 g/plant from Cycle 0 (C0) to C8, representing an 84% improvement, or 10% per cycle. Increases from C0 to C4 were similar to those from C4 to C8. Root dry weight did not increase from selection and improved yield only resulted from enhancing rubber percentage which changed from 4.35 to 7.62%. Selection response has not plateaued and phenotypic variation has not decreased, indicating continued gains can occur with additional breeding.

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Biomass waste utilisation in low-carbon products: harnessing a major potential resource

npj Climate and Atmospheric Science ◽

10.1038/s41612-019-0093-5 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Nimisha Tripathi ◽

Colin D. Hills ◽

Raj S. Singh ◽

Christopher J. Atkinson

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Construction Materials ◽

Value Added ◽

High Volume ◽

Raw Material ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Biomass Waste ◽

Biomass Residues ◽

Construction Products ◽

Sustainable Value

Abstract The increasing demand for food and other basic resources from a growing population has resulted in the intensification of agricultural and industrial activities. The wastes generated from agriculture are a burgeoning problem, as their disposal, utilisation and management practices are not efficient or universally applied. Particularly in developing countries, most biomass residues are left in the field to decompose or are burned in the open, resulting in significant environmental impacts. Similarly, with rapid global urbanisation and the rising demand for construction products, alternative sustainable energy sources and raw material supplies are required. Biomass wastes are an under-utilised source of material (for both energy and material generation), and to date, there has been little activity focussing on a ‘low-carbon’ route for their valorisation. Thus, the present paper attempts to address this by reviewing the global availability of biomass wastes and their potential for use as a feedstock for the manufacture of high-volume construction materials. Although targeted at practitioners in the field of sustainable biomass waste management, this work may also be of interest to those active in the field of carbon emission reductions. We summarise the potential of mitigating CO2 in a mineralisation step involving biomass residues, and the implications for CO2 capture and utilisation (CCU) to produce construction products from both solid and gaseous wastes. This work contributes to the development of sustainable value-added lower embodied carbon products from solid waste. The approach will offer reduced carbon emissions and lower pressure on natural resources (virgin stone, soil etc.).

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CgNPG1 as a Novel Pathogenic Gene of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides From Hevea brasiliensis in Mycelial Growth, Conidiation, and the Invasive Structures Development

Frontiers in Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fmicb.2021.629387 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Chen Liang ◽

Bei Zhang ◽

Yun Zhou ◽

Hongyan Yin ◽

Bang An ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Natural Rubber ◽

Hevea Brasiliensis ◽

Mycelial Growth ◽

Colletotrichum Gloeosporioides ◽

Germination Rate ◽

Formation Rate ◽

Rubber Tree ◽

Appressorium Formation ◽

Conidia Germination ◽

Pathogenic Gene

The rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is a tropical perennial crop for the primary source of natural rubber. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides from Hevea brasiliensis (C. gloeosporioides Hb) and Colletotrichum acutatum from Hevea brasiliensis (C. acutatum Hb) are the causal agents of rubber tree anthracnose and lead to serious loss of natural rubber production. Inoculation tests showed that C. gloeosporioides Hb possessed higher pathogenicity than C. acutatum Hb to the rubber tree. Genomic analysis revealed that an unknown gene, named CgNPG1 (a Novel Pathogenic Gene 1), was presented in the genome of C. gloeosporioides Hb but not identified in C. acutatum Hb. CgNPG1 was predicted to encode a small secretory protein without any conserved domain. To investigate the functions of CgNPG1 in C. gloeosporioides Hb and in C. acutatum Hb, the gene deletion and overexpression mutants were generated. The phenotype analysis showed that deletion of CgNPG1 led to changed conidia morphology, decreased mycelial growth, conidiation, conidia germination rate, appressorium formation rate, and pathogenicity of C. gloeosporioides Hb to the rubber tree. Meanwhile, heterogeneous expression of CgNPG1 in C. acutatum Hb significantly changed the conidia morphology and improved the mycelial growth rate, conidiation, conidia germination rate, appressorium formation rate, and the pathogenicity of C. acutatum Hb to the rubber tree. Consistently, CgNPG1 increased the expression level of CaCRZ1 and CaCMK1 in C. acutatum Hb. These data suggested that CgNPG1 contributed to mycelial growth, conidiation, the development of invasive structures, and the pathogenicity of Colletotrichum to the rubber tree, which might be related to the modulation of CaCRZ1 and mitogen-activated protein kinase CMK1. Our results provided new insight into CgNPG1 in regulating growth and pathogenicity of the Colletotrichum spp.

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Biomass Production and Nutrient Accumulation by Natural Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis Wild. Ex A. Juss.) Müell. Arg. Clones in a Humid Tropical Area in South India

Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources ◽

10.33002/nr2581.6853.040309 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 94-110

Author(s):

Kannattuvadakkethil Krishnankutty Ambily ◽

Arumugham Ulaganathan

Keyword(s):

Natural Rubber ◽

Hevea Brasiliensis ◽

Allometric Equation ◽

Raw Material ◽

Total Biomass ◽

Nutrient Accumulation ◽

Ground Biomass ◽

Drought Tolerant ◽

Standing Trees ◽

Below Ground

Natural rubber (Hevea brasiliensis Wild. Ex A. Juss.) Müell. Arg. is an important commodity crop grown in world over for industrial raw material rubber latex for various products, mainly tyre manufacturing. Hevea propagation is through clones evolved by breeding as cultivars with desired characters. This article presented the biomass and nutrient accumulation of four important Hevea clones viz. RRII 105, RRII 118, RRII 203 and GT1 at 30 years age. Biomass and nutrient concentration of tree components viz. trunk, branches, leaf and root were assessed by uprooting the trees in the field and standing trees using allometric equation. Among the different clones, RRII 118 and GT1 recorded higher biomass compared to RRII 105 and RRII 203. Above-ground biomass (88-93 per cent) varied more than below-ground biomass (7-11 per cent). The high yielding clones had higher leaf and root biomass. Drought tolerant and timber clones viz. RRII 118 and RRII 203 recorded higher K and high yielding clone RRII 105 had higher Ca accumulation. Biomass removal of these clones may lead to deficiency of K and Ca in soil and hence needs the external supplements. The relation of high Ca content and leaf disease of fungal origin is promising for further studies. The higher accumulation of iron and manganese indicated the tolerance of Hevea to these elements and possibility of phytoremediation. The per cent contribution of nutrients to total biomass varied less between clones and was below 3 percent at the age of 30 years and this is evidence of adjustments in proportions of nutrients in Hevea irrespective of clonal variations.

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Lipid Composition of Latex and Rubber Particles in Hevea brasiliensis and Taraxacum kok-saghyz

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules25215110 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (21) ◽

pp. 5110

Author(s):

Sung Woo Bae ◽

Sunghee Jung ◽

Sang Chul Choi ◽

Mi Young Kim ◽

Stephen Beungtae Ryu

Keyword(s):

Natural Rubber ◽

Lipid Composition ◽

Hevea Brasiliensis ◽

Particle Production ◽

Rubber Particle ◽

Rubber Tree ◽

Rubber Particles ◽

The Future

Natural rubber is usually synthesized in the rubber particles present in the latex of rubber-producing plants such as the Pará rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) and rubber dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz). Since the detailed lipid compositions of fresh latex and rubber particles of the plants are poorly known, the present study reports detailed compound lipid composition, focusing on phospholipids and galactolipids in the latex and rubber particles of the plants. In the fresh latex and rubber particles of both plants, phospholipids were much more dominant (85–99%) compared to galactolipids. Among the nine classes of phospholipids, phosphatidylcholines (PCs) were most abundant, at ~80%, in both plants. Among PCs, PC (36:4) and PC (34:2) were most abundant in the rubber tree and rubber dandelion, respectively. Two classes of galactolipids, monogalactosyl diacylglycerol and digalactosyl diacylglycerol, were detected as 12% and 1%, respectively, of total compound lipids in rubber tree, whereas their percentages in the rubber dandelion were negligible (< 1%). Overall, the compound lipid composition differed only slightly between the fresh latex and the rubber particles of both rubber plants. These results provide fundamental data on the lipid composition of rubber particles in two rubber-producing plants, which can serve as a basis for artificial rubber particle production in the future.

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NATURAL RUBBER BIOSYNTHESIS: STILL A MYSTERY

Rubber Chemistry and Technology ◽

10.5254/rct.18.81529 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 91 (4) ◽

pp. 683-700 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Judit E. Puskas ◽

Carin A. Helfer

Keyword(s):

Natural Rubber ◽

Rubber Tree ◽

Rubber Biosynthesis ◽

Attractive Option ◽

Living Carbocationic Polymerization ◽

Heat Dispersion ◽

Mechanism And Kinetics ◽

Increasing Demand ◽

Natural Rubber Biosynthesis ◽

Kinetics Of

ABSTRACT Currently, Hevea brasiliensis (the Brazilian rubber tree) is the only commercially available source of natural rubber (NR) for use in many products, which vary from tires to medical products such as adhesive bandages. H. brasiliensis NR is used in these products because after vulcanization, superior properties, which include elasticity, abrasion resistance, and efficient heat dispersion, result. Issues, such as increasing demand and risk of a single source, make a synthetic (manmade) NR an attractive option. However, after years of research efforts, the exact structure of high-molecular-weight NR is still unproven, and a synthetic NR with similar properties to H. brasiliensis NR still has not been developed. To create a replacement synthetic rubber for H. brasiliensis NR, we believe an understanding of NR biosynthesis is necessary. We present a view of NR biosynthesis from a polymer chemistry viewpoint that is based on insight into the mechanism and kinetics of living carbocationic polymerization.

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Natural Food Additives and Preservatives for Fish-Paste Products: A Review of the Past, Present, and Future States of Research

Journal of Food Quality ◽

10.1155/2017/9675469 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-31 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Khawaja Muhammad Imran Bashir ◽

Jin-Soo Kim ◽

Jeong Hyeon An ◽

Jae Hak Sohn ◽

Jae-Suk Choi

Keyword(s):

Shelf Life ◽

Food Additives ◽

Value Added ◽

Fish Muscle ◽

Raw Material ◽

Natural Food ◽

Chemical Additives ◽

Fish Meat ◽

Seafood Products ◽

Increasing Demand

Fish-paste products, also known as fish cakes or surimi-based products, are worldwide favorites. Surimi, a wet protein concentrate of fish muscle, is used as an intermediate raw material to produce surimi seafood. The flavor, texture, taste, shelf-life, and market value of surimi-based products depend on the source of the fish meat, type of applied heat treatment, and additives used to prepare the surimi. While preparing surimi with chemical additives, several problems have been observed, such as a lack of unique characteristics, inferior acceptability, and poor functionality. Various types of fish-paste products have been developed by using different ingredients (e.g., vegetables, seafood, herbs and oriental medicines, grains and roots including carrots, and functional food materials). However, a systematic review of fish-paste products prepared using natural food additives has not yet been performed. Therefore, the quality characteristics of fish-paste products and their functionalities were elucidated in this study. With the increasing demand for surimi seafood products, the functional properties, physiochemical properties, and shelf-life of surimi-based products need to be improved. This review will aid the preparation of new value-added products in the surimi industry.

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