INCREASED THE PRODUCTIVITY OF PB 260 CLONE RUBBER PLANTS THROUGH STIMULANT CONCENTRATION AND TAPPING INTERVAL IN AFTERNOON TAPPING TIME

Abstract

Quick starter clones dominate rubber plantations in Indonesia. One of the problems of these clones is often dry tapping grooves on the bottom due to incomplete and intensive tapping, resulting in low productivity and a poorly recovered peel (thin and uneven). The low yield and quality of latex on smallholder plantations are affected by high tapping frequency on the same tree so that the virgin bark is used up quickly, and the quality of the recovered bark is low. Therefore, the research aimed to increase the latex yield of 12-year-old PB 260 clone rubber plants using different liquid stimulant concentrations and tapping intervals. The research was conducted in Naga Rejo Village, Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. The research method used a factorial randomized block design with two factors: stimulant concentration treatment (0, 2.5, 3.5%) and tapping interval (3, 4, 5 days once tapped) repeated three times. The results showed that applying a stimulant concentration of 2.5% and tapping intervals every four days can increase latex yields and optimum latex physiological conditions.