One-hundred seventeen-years ago the domestication of the rubber tree took place. Brazil provided the world with the rubber tree, Hevea Brasiliensis, but that country no longer plays any significant part in the world natural rubber trade. In 1873 seeds were exported from the lower Amazon area of Brazil to London UK by Henry Wickham, a local planter acting for the British Government. The seeds were germinated at the Tropical Herbarium in Kew Gardens, London and sent to India but died. In 1876 2800 more seedlings went to Ceylon (Now Sri Sanka ) where they grew strongly, and the technique of tapping was developed. Once established outside its native country it was propagated in all British Colonies. By 1898 a rubber plantation had been established in Malaysia and today most plantations are in Southeast Asia with some in Tropical Africa.
By 1900, most of the techniques and agricultural practices required to establish large plantations had been developed. One key technique was dud grafting. This is essentially a cloning technique which ensures that genetically identical trees can be produced in unlimited numbers.
Simultaneously, local farmers saw the opportunities of rubber cultivation, and planted small groves of trees to supplement their own income.
This gives rise to two types of rubber plantations in most producing countries: the estates, or plantations and the smallholdings. Estates are essentially large-scale farms, with professional management. Most latex comes from professionally managed estates.
Latex Is Not Made From Sap
Latex is often described as the sap of the Hevea tree. This is not an accurate description. The sap runs deeper inside the tree, beneath the cambium. Latex runs in the latex ducts which are in a layer immediately outside the cambium. This highlights the skill of the tapper. If the cambium is cut, then the tree is damaged, because the cambium is where all the growth takes place.
Methods Of Latex Rubber Tapping
All natural rubber originates in the Hevea tree, and it starts its journey when the tree is tapped. Trees are rarely tapped more often than once every two days.
A tapper starts the trek around the plantation before dawn. At each tree a sharp knife is used to shave off the thinnest possible layer from the intact section of bark. (The cut must be neither too deep, nor too thick. Either will reduce the productive life of the tree.) This starts the latex flowing, and the tapper leaves a little cup underneath the cut. He returns later that night and collects the cup.
Processing Of Latex
After the latex is gathered on the tapper's return journey it is then poured into containers and delivered to a processing station where is is strained, heated and concentrated. At the end of this process the latex is washed of all proteins that could cause allergies.
Environmental Conservation
When latex production tends to diminish and the tree is so tall its heavy crown is often damaged (between 30 and 35 years) the rubber trees are cut down and replaced with new stock. The tree is then used for wood and other uses.