HAVE YOU VACCINATED YOUR RUBBER

TREES? IF NOT , DO IT IMMEDIATELY

L.Thankamma
Mycologist [Retd] Rubber Research Institute of India
Rubber growers possessing young rubber plants are to be alert, they have to carry out vaccination of
the plants promptly before the onset of South West Monsoon during June July against the most
important fungal disease caused by the fungus Corticium salmonicolor. If not prevented in time the
disease is highly hazardous causing loss of major branches to total casualties thereby resulting in
heavy loss to the grower by significantly reducing the number of tappable trees and affecting the
girthing of the trees for tapping.
Susceptible age of the plants
Plants are infected from second year onwards upto twelve or fifteen years.
Symptoms
Exudation of latex from the brown bark of the plant especially from the forking region is the initial
symptom. White coloured cobweb like mycelium at the affected portion may be visible. Bark all round
dies and decomposes and the whole portion will get killed resulting in side shoot development from
below. Affected bark surface may show pink coloured growth in later stages. If the infection is on the
first forking region the whole terminal portion may get killed resulting in the total death of the plant. If
not prevented in time very high percentage of plants will dry up due to the disease warranting
replanting of the area. Hence pink disease is the most serious stem disease of rubber.
Prevention of pink disease
The disease can very well be prevented by resorting to timely interference by way of prophylactic
premonsoon Bordeaux paste application. Be careful, the disease has invariably to be prevented, and
not controlled.
How the plants are to be protected from infection or vaccinated?
Two year old rubber plants are to be vaccinated. The age is most important Third year also the
process has to be repeated.
Season for the operation
Just before the onset of south west monsoon i.e., towards the end of May every year. It will be better
if it is done as close to the Monsoon as possible.


Method of application
All the plants are to be applied with 10 % Bordeaux paste at the first forking region of the plant and on
the areas where the brown bark and green bark meet on the leader, in 30 cm wide bands all-round
using a long handled brush from the ground. These plants are to be protected once again during the
same season of next year by applying the paste on the forking region of the leader [leaders] above
avoiding the portion treated last year below and also the stem portions where brown and green barks
meet with each other. This can also be done using the long handled brush from below. Climbing of the
tree is not at all warranted.









PREVENTIVE BORDEAUX
PASTE APPLIED PLANT


How to prepare 10% Bordeaux paste
1Kg of copper sulphate has to be dissolved in 5 litres of water by keeping the chemical in a loose cloth
bag touching the surface of water level overnight. One kg of quick lime has to be applied with water
and then to be diluted with water to make 5 litres of slaked lime solution The copper sulphate solution
has to be added slowly to the lime solution while stirring the mixture formed vigorously. Ten litres of
paste formed has to be used the same day itself.
How the fungicide acts against infection
The 10% fungicide applied on the bark surface will stick on there, releasing active copper throughout
the rainy months in rain water killing the fungus if any on the portions below thereby ensuring
protection from infection throughout the season.
The preventive application if carried out in time on all the plants in time before the monsoon months it
will ensure complete protection from infection all throughout. After the preventive application carried
out during the second and third years of growth on all the plants the grower can totally forget about the
disease during the whole life cycle of the trees
Hence rubber groweRs are to be cautious
It is time for vaccinating your young rubber plants
Do it promptly.