Highlights of the research findings in this issue are:

• Long term performance of rubber clones in NE India with special focus on survivability and adaptability is discussed
• Vegetative hedges/biological bunds are found highly effective for terrace stabilization and soil conservation in immature rubber plantations
• Low Frequency Controlled Upward Tapping (LFCUT) even under weekly tapping with panel change is promising and cost effective in clone RRII 105
• Evaluation of a set of six popular Wickham clones and thirty wild accessions of Hevea revealed highly significant variability for girth, yield and secondary desirable traits
• Genetic diversity studies on fifty-five Brazilian wild Hevea germplasm confirmed the presence of wide variability for growth and yield traits
• A survey on the distribution of major weeds in rubber plantations of South India identified Axonopus compressus as the major weed and available calcium and magnesium status of soil influenced weed distribution
• The policy change on import of tyres into India has contributed positively towards achieving its perceived objectives of protecting and nourishing the domestic tyre manufacturing sector, though the benefits have not percolated to the upstream production sector due to difference in price of NR in the domestic and international markets
• Rhizosphere adaptations in pH and nutrient availability were noticed when rubber seedlings were planted in soils with varying pH and base status making the soil more favourable for plant growth
• Intercropping of fodder under immature rubber holds good potential for increasing the forage production and can bridge the gap in demand and supply of cattle feed in the fragile ecosystem of Tripura.
• The preparation of silica from rice husk ash and its application in rubber products are discussed
• The possible roles of latex in plant system are discussed
• fifty-five wild Hevea accessions of Brazil along with check clones (RRII 105 and RRIM 600) were evaluated in the traditional rubber growing region of Kerala state, India. The present study confirmed the presence of wide variability in the germplasm for various yield and growth traits. The Genotypes were grouped into six clusters and Clusters I, VI, II and III had highly diverse clones, indicating considerable genetic diversity in the population. Accessions such as RO 5018, RO 2841, and RO 5432 showed high genetic diversity, possess potential new genes/alleles for growth vigour and yield attributes, which could be useful for the development of new high yielding clones with reduced juvenile period and also in broadening the genetic base of the present-day cultivated rubber. (Dr. Rao)