“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
kg.ha-1.year-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 kg.ha-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
g.tree-1.year-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
g.tree-1.year-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 g.tree-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