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Abstract
Seasonal and Clonal Variation in the Latex and Raw Rubber
of Hevea brasiliensis
The variation in the quality of raw natural rubber
causes serious problems associated with processing and grading with the quality
of processed crop varying with changes in season, clonal origin and especially
with the maturation time of the cuplump material. This study was undertaken to
evaluate the contribution of these sources of variation and where possible,
identify latex physiological parameters as early markers of properties of the
processed crumb. Relationships between certain physiological parameters of
latex analysed by micro-latex diagnosis technique and some relevant
technological properties of the raw rubber were estimated for some selected
clones. These were found to be greatly influenced by eco-climatic conditions.
Highly significant clonal variations were also observed in the physiological
parameters of latex while these variations were not so consistent for most of
the technological properties and physiological parameters notably between the
inorganic phosphorus and plasticity retention index and between the total solid
content and the Mooney viscosity.

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