“Double Cut Alternative” Tapping
System (DCA)
Towards Improvement of Yield and Labour Productivity
of Thailand Rubber Plantations
P. CHANTUMA, A. CHANTUMA, A. LECONTE and E. GOHET
World rubber cultivation : A changing context
Industrial estates
: Mainly try to optimize labour productivity
: Due to increasing scarcity of skilled
manpower or tappers
Labour productivity is maximized by using
reduced tapping frequencies : d/3, d/4,
d/5, d/6
World rubber cultivation : A changing context
Smallholdings : The evolution is opposite
due to plantation owners try to compensate the smaller
size of farms through tapping intensification : d/2,
2d/3, 3d/4, d/1
this lead to a low labour productivity resulting from
- physiological fatigue
- tapping panel dryness and
- reduces the plantation lifespan
Thailand plantations
Mainly smallholdings with very small
size : < 2 ha keeping on decreasing
Farmers adopt intensive tapping
frequencies : 2d/3,3d/4,5d/6,d/1
Shortened tapping cut (1/3 S)
The entire plantation one tapping
task on which tapping is
performed every day
Thailand plantations
Crop-sharing system : 40 % tapper / 60 % owner, favours
acceleration of tapping by tapper
Replanting regulations : also push for intensive tapping,
as planters can apply to replanting subsidies when bark
is not any more available
Consequences of intensive tapping systems
a rather low labour productivity
Resulting in
- low tappers and planters incomes
compared to the potential
- physiological fatigue of trees
- high TPD rates
- short life-cycle of plantations
(high bark consumption)
Physiological and practical causes
for this low productivity
Insufficient time for latex regeneration
between consecutive tappings, preventing the
use of ethephon stimulation because of a too
low latex sugar content
High tapping panel dryness (TPD) rates
Use of third of spiral cuts (1/3S), often leading
to a huge “island bark” on third panel (B0-3)
Physiological and practical causes
for this low productivity
- Increasing trend to early openings of
small trees and
- Impossibility to use controlled upward
tapping (CUT) when using such intensive
tapping frequencies
“Towards the Improvement of the
Rubber Tree Productivity”
A Thai-French Cooperation
RRIT-DOA KU CIRAD PSU
Objective of the project
Identify new research directions and test possible
solutions to this low productivity of Thai rubber farms, in
order to garanty the suatainability of rubber cultivation
Multidisciplinary research is carried out:
- latex physiology and biochemistry
- agronomic practices and tapping systems
- whole plant ecophysiology
- genome mapping and marker assisted selection
- genetic engineering
- rubber quality
Principle of DCA tapping strategy
“ Double Cut Alternative (DCA) ”
High cut
1.50 m.
Feasibility of DCA tapping strategies
that might be used to improve rubber
Low cut
0.80 m.
productivity on Thai plantations.
Its principle is to increase the latex regeneration time
by splitting the tapping on two different tapping cuts,
tapped alternately
DCA strategy is applied to d/2 tapping frequency
- each cut is tapped in d/4 but the tree is tapped in d/2
- tapping frequency is maintained in d/2 at tree level, not
changing at all tapping organization at plot scale.
The two cuts should be located on opposite
tapping panels and vertically as distant as
High cut
1.50 m. possible
1. Low cut (panel BO-I) at 0.80 m.
2. High cut (panel Bo-2) at 1.50 m.
Low cut
0.80 m.
Day 1 2 3 4 5
Tap Low - High - Low
Conditions for success of DCA tapping system
2 x 1/2 S d/4 (t,t) (equivalent 1/2 S d/2)
Appropriate positions of the two
tapping cuts:
To reduce their possible competition
regarding carbohydrates, water and
mineral nutriments supply
According to previous studies on
spatial extension of latex
regeneration area
Optimisation of d/2 tapping frequency
A. 1/2 S d/2 nil stim
B. 1/3 S d/2 Et 2.5% 4/y
F. DCA (2x1/2S d/4 Et 2.5% Pa 4/y (8/y))
Tapping days 105 days/year
As 3 tr. are tapped with the same tapping frequency (d/2) at trunk scale
1/2S d/2 = A half spiral cut tapped alternative daily every 2 day
1/3S d/2 Et. = one-third spiral cut tapped alternative daily every 2 day
B A
6 1.50
1
m
1.50 m.
2
3
4
Day 1 25 3 4 5
Tap Tap - Tap - Tap
Double cut
B A
High cut
High cut 1.50 m.
Y1 Y5
1.50 m.
Y6
Y2
Y3
Y4 Low cut
Low cut Y5
Y1 0.80 m.
0.80 m.
Y6 Y2
Y3
Y4
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Recorded parameters:
* Productions (kg/t/y, g/t/t, kg/ha, kg/tapper/day)
* Girth (cm, 1.70m/ground)
* Latex physiological parameters (Latex Diagnosis)
* Sucrose
* Inorganic phosphorus
* Reduced Thiols
* Latex DRC
According to Cirad-RRIT latex diagnosis
methodology
Results
Annual rubber yield (kg/ha/year)
3,000
Y3
Y2 Y6
Y1
2,000
[Link]-1
1,000
A. 1/2S d/2
1/3S, yield is sig.
lower 1/2S d/2 in
B. 1/3S d/2 Et
Y 3, 7
F. DCA
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Year of Tapping (1 to 8)
DCA : a sig. improvement compared to the two recommended systems
1). 1/2 S d/2 nil stim
2). 1/3 S d/2 Et 2.5% 4/y
However, ½ S d/2 never gets sig. higher production compared to DCA, in kg/ha or g/tree,
throughout the first 8 years of tapping.
Cumulative yield Y1-8 (kg/ha/year)
20,000
Y1-Y7 Y8
+15% +9%
15,000
Sum [Link]-1 since opening
10,000
A. 1/2S d/2
5,000
B. 1/3S d/2 Et
F. DCA
-
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Year of Tapping (1 to 8)
DCA : sig. higher until end of year 7 (+15% since opening)
Although not anymore sig. after 8 years of tapping, cumulative kg/ha of DCA still
represents an observed increase of +9% over ½ S d/2
1/3 S : yield is sig. lower than both DCA & ½ S d/2 after 8 years tapping
Annual yield
gramme/tree g/t/t
8,000 80
Y1-Y3 Y6-Y7 Y1-Y3 Y6-Y7
25-30% 22-38%
6,000 60
g .tre e -1 .ta p p in g -1
g .tre e -1 .y e a r-1
4,000 40
Y4-Y5
equivalent
2,000 A. 1/2S d/2 20
A. 1/2S d/2
B. 1/3S d/2 Et
B. 1/3S d/2 Et
F. DCA
F. DCA
- 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Year of Tapping (1 to 8) Year of Tapping (1 to 8)
As 3 tr. are tapped with the same tapping frequency (d/2), g/t/t evolution and
statistical sig. is equivalent to g/tree evolution
Production shows exactly the same trend and sig.
DCA: sig. improvment compare to the 2 recomendation systems
in tapping y 1, 2, 3 and 6, 7
Cumulative yield
gramme/tree g/t/t
40,000 80
Y8
Y1-Y7
+14%
+18%
30,000 60
S u m g .tr e e - 1 s in c e o p e n in g
g .tr e e - 1 .ta p p in g - 1
20,000 40
10,000 20
A. 1/2S d/2 A. 1/2S d/2
B. 1/3S d/2 Et B. 1/3S d/2 Et
F. DCA F. DCA
- 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Year of Tapping (1 to 8) Year of Tapping (1 to 8)
Cumulative g/tree is sign. higher until end of year 7 (+18% since opening)
Although not anymore sig., cumulative g/tree of DCA still represents an
observed increase of +14% after 8 years of tapping
Production of 1/3 S d/2 Et 2.5% 4/y is sig. lower than DCA
Classical Yield Pattern : 1/2S & 1/3S
g/t
8,000
Y7-Y8
Y1-Y4 increasing
increasing
6,000
Y5-Y6
decrease
[Link]-1
4,000
2,000 A. 1/2S d/2
B. 1/3S d/2 Et
F. DCA
-
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Year of Tapping (1 to 8)
Y1-Y4 : increasing production trend on BO-1, reflect the progressive latex
metabolic activate
Y5-Y6(5 first month) : decreasing on the low BO-1, reflex the effect of latex
regeneration area limitation and decrease sugar supply due to the
low BO-1 panel position
Y6 (4 last months)-Y8 : increasing production again on BO-2, reflect high food reserve
Yield Pattern : DCA
g/t
8,000
Y6-Y7
Y1-Y3 22-38%
25-30%
6,000
Y4-Y5
[Link]-1
equivalent
4,000
2,000 A. 1/2S d/2
B. 1/3S d/2 Et
F. DCA
-
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Year of Tapping (1 to 8)
Y1-Y3 : increasing production trend, reflecting latex metabolic activation
of both BO-1 & BO-2 panels
Further physiological studies on conditions of metabolic synergy or competition between
the 2 tapping cuts of DCA are still required to explain yield evolution pattern
This needs separate yield recording from each DCA tapping cut
Girth and girth increment
No sig. difference is found between the three
treatments after 8 years of tapping
Relation between girth increment and production
45000
40000
Sum [Link]-1 since opening
35000
30000
A. 1/2S d/2
B. 1/3S d/2 Et
25000 F. DCA
20000
12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00 16.00 17.00 18.00
Girth increment since opening (cm)
Compared to ½ S d/2, DCA maintains a better balance Growth / Production
(higher production, same girth increment)
Conversely, 1/3 S d/2 has a reverse behaviour
(lower production, same girth increment)
Latex diagnosis
DRC Suc Pi RSH
A. 1/2S d/2 44.92 8.66 a 19.31 ab 0.30 bc
B. 1/3S d/2 Et. 45.21 6.89 b 17.87 b 0.27 c
FA. DCA BO-I 43.45 8.82 a 23.90 a 0.33 b
FB. DCA BO-II 43.37 8.34 a 23.95 a 0.38 a
Regarding DCA, data obtained on each cut are presented separately as
coming from different latex regeneration areas.
Avg. data after 8 years of tapping: suc and drc are not sig. different
between the 3 treatments
RSH of DCA B0-2 cut is sig. higher than DCA B0-1 cut , ½ S d/2 and 1/3 S d/2
RSH of DCA B0-1 cut is sign. higher than 1/3 S d/2.
Pi of DCA (both tapping cuts) is sig. higher than 1/3 S d/2.
Tapped trees density
Annual tapped tree stand per ha of the 3 compared treat.
A drop of the stand is observed in years 7 and 8 on DCA,
although not statistically sig. under our trial conditions
Appearance of some tapping panel dryness when the island
tapping cut comes back downward to the renewed bark of bark
B0-1 panel, evocating an “island bark” symptom
Low
cut
Followed to see if this apparently negative
evolution of the stand of DCA is temporary or
permanent
Bark consumption
DCA system induces an increased vertical bark consumption of
+ 15% compared to both d/2 single cut treatments
Due to the fact that actual tapping is performed in d/4 on each
DCA cut (increased bark hardening between two tappings).
Conclusion
DCA improved latex regeneration and subsequent increased
output per tree and per tapping (+15% along 8 years)
DCA : the first seven years of tapping, cumulative rubber
production is significantly increased compared to the equivalent
intensity single cut tapping system (1/2 S d/2),
DCA: maintaining correct latex physiological profiles and an good
relation between girth and production
Thank you