Rubber intercropping: a viable concept for the 21st century?

Langenberger, Gerhard; Cadisch, Georg; Martin, Konrad; Min, Shi; Waibel, Hermann

doi:10.1007/s10457-016-9961-8

Cited by 65 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…550 trees/ ha with 6-to 8-m inter-rows, leaving 75% of the soil surface uncultivated. Furthermore, incident radiation in the inter-rows is sufficient during the first 4-5 years of the plantation for the development and growth of a soil cover of annual or perennial plant species (Paisan 1996;Langenberger et al 2017). Three main soil cover management systems can therefore be considered: (1) management of spontaneous vegetation, (2) use of cover crops like legumes or grasses, and (3) cultivation of annual or perennial crops, also called intercropping.…”

Section: Intercropping Management (Fig 1)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, despite these advantages, legume cover-crops are seldom used in rubber plantations particularly in smallholdings. Smallholders usually prefer to grow annual or perennial crops for food or income during the unproductive period of the rubber plantations Langenberger et al 2017;Min et al 2017;Romyen et al 2018). Few studies have reported the effect of intercropping on tree growth, soil fertility and nutrient management.…”

Section: Intercropping Management (Fig 1)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nutrient management of immature rubber plantations. A review

Vrignon-Brenas

Gay

Ricard

et al. 2019

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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The rapid expansion of rubber tree plantations in recent decades has been accompanied by dramatic negative ecological and social impacts. Rubber sector stakeholders consequently engaged in sustainable production of rubber. Despite the lack of harvest during the immature stage following planting, this period plays a key role in future yields. Management practices, particularly fertilization regimes, are used by farmers to shorten the immature period as much as possible. This entails maintaining or even improving the productivity of existing plantations to face the demand for natural rubber. This review focuses specifically on the immature period of rubber tree plantations, as it is the most critical period for nutrient management. We reviewed available knowledge on fertilization practices, soil management, and nutrient dynamics in rubber plantations with the goal of developing a nutrient balance approach for this crop. Our review revealed (1) a notable difference between fertilizer recommendations made by technical institutes and those reported in the scientific literature; (2) that even though nutrient diagnostic methods could help growers adapt the fertilization of rubber trees more than 3 years of age, further studies are needed to adapt current methods to the wide range of cultivation areas; and (3) that the nutrient budget approach may be the best way to incorporate the variety of rubber tree cultivation conditions. In conclusion, the nutrient budget method is a promising way to improve the sustainability of rubber plantations through fertilization making it possible to increase nutrient use efficiency. A comprehensive approach based on nutrient budgets requires further in-depth studies to examine nutrient dynamics in a wide range of conditions, including intercropping and logging residue management between clearcutting and replanting.

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Section: Intercropping Management (Fig 1)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Intercropping Management (Fig 1)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrient management of immature rubber plantations. A review

Vrignon-Brenas

Gay

Ricard

et al. 2019

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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“…In these areas land use modifications of significant scale require serious attention to the potential impacts on the ecological integrity and ecosystem functions and services. The ongoing improvements in the scientific understanding and practice of concepts such as rubber based agroforestry systems (Langenberger et al 2017) and Green rubber eco-certification (Kennedy et al 2017) offer promising options for environmentally friendly rubber cultivation, particularly as support from the smallholder side for participation in ecosystem protection appears to grow (Min et al 2018, Wigboldus et al 2017.…”

Section: Contrasts and Conjunctions With Comparable Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change impact assessment on the potential rubber cultivating area in the Greater Mekong Subregion

Golbon

Cotter

Sauerborn

2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

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In order to map potential shifts of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) cultivation as a consequence of the ongoing climate change in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), we applied rule-based classifications to a selection of nine gridded climatic data projections (precipitation and temperature, and global circulation models (GCMs)). These projections were used to form an ensemble model set covering the representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5 of the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change at three future time sections: 2030, 2050 and 2070. We used a post classification ensemble formation technique based on a majority outcome of the classification to not only provide an ensemble projection but also to spatially track and weight the disagreements between the classified GCMs. A similar approach was used to form an ensemble model aggregating the involved climatic factors. The level of agreement between the ensemble projections and GCM products was assessed for each climatic factor separately, and also at the aggregate level. Shifting zones with high confidence were clustered based on their land use composition, physiographic attributes and proximity. Following the same ensemble formation technique and by setting a 28• C threshold for annual mean temperature, we mapped areas prone to exposure to potentially excessive heat levels. Almost the entire shift projected with high certainty was in the form of expansion, associated with temperature components of climate and temporally limited to the 2030 time window where the total area conducive to rubber cultivation in the GMS is projected to exceed 50% by 2030 (from 44.3% at the turn of the century). The largest detected cluster (41% of the total shifting area), which also is the most ecologically degraded, corresponds to Northern Vietnam and Guangxi Autonomous Region of China. The area exposed to potentially excessive heat is projected to undergo a 25-fold increase under RCP4.5 by 2030 from 14568 km 2 at the baseline.

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“…Farmers in Songkhla who had the highest incomes intercropped fruit and other foods, livestock and fisheries on their landholdings; their incomes were more than one-third higher than monocrop plantation owners. Studies consistently recommend addition of other crops alongside rubber trees to supplement income (Jalloh, et al, 2009;CIRAD, 2013;Wang, et al, 2014;Yu & Langenberger, 2016;Cadisch, 2016). However, smallholder farms like most in Thailand usually face significant difficulty diversifying their crops.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability and Competitiveness of Thailand’s Natural Rubber Industry in Times of Global Economic Flux

Kampan¹

2017

ASS

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This study assesses economic, legal, and environmental conditions that Thai rubber farmers face, and evaluates actions they can take to increase incomes. Statistical analyses determine relationships between prices of oil, natural and synthetic rubber. Pearson correlation tests found a strong positive relationship (r = 0.887) between the price of Brent crude and Thai ribbed smoked sheets, and a moderate positive relationship between price changes in Brent and synthetic rubber (r = 0.648). Regression analysis showed Brent oil price is a good predictor of natural rubber prices. Moderate to strong positive relationships were also found between natural rubber price and gross domestic product of Japan, China, and the United States. Criminal antitrust behavior in rubber industries appeared to interfere with normal pricing in rubber markets. No significant bivariate correlation was found between rainfall in Thailand and natural rubber price, production, or export although flooding and other environmental issues clearly affected rubber farms. A survey of options showed Thai rubber farmers can improve livelihoods best through collective purchase and use of new technologies, and by integrating into downstream supply chain industries. At very least, farmers are urged to abandon monocrop methods and supplement incomes with fruit, fish, livestock, or pigs.

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Rubber intercropping: a viable concept for the 21st century?

Cited by 65 publications

References 76 publications

Nutrient management of immature rubber plantations. A review

Nutrient management of immature rubber plantations. A review

Climate change impact assessment on the potential rubber cultivating area in the Greater Mekong Subregion

Sustainability and Competitiveness of Thailand’s Natural Rubber Industry in Times of Global Economic Flux

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