Rubber plantation performance in the Northeast and East of Thailand in relation to environmental conditions

Rubber plantation performance in the Northeast and East of Thailand in relation to environmental conditions Laura Rantala A thesis submitted for an M.Sc degree in Forest Ecology Department of Forest Ecology/ Viikki Tropical Resources Institute (VITRI) University of Helsinki Finland 2006 PREFACE This M.Sc thesis was done under the framework of a project “Improving the productivity of rubber smallholdings through rubber agroforestry systems in Indonesia and Thailand”. The project is being financed by the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC). It is coordinated by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), and research partners include the Indonesian Rubber Research Institute, Kasetsart University (KU) and Prince of Songkhla University in Thailand, and the University of Helsinki (UH). I received funding from the UH for travel expenses to Thailand and for participation in a bilateral exchange programme between the universities of Kasetsart and Helsinki. My initial knowledge of rubber cultivation and the tropical environment was limited to say the least. I am grateful to everyone involved in this work for the time they have generously given for guiding me through the various stages of this work. Firstly I wish to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Professor, Dr. Olavi Luukkanen (UH), Director of the Viikki Tropical Resources Institute (VITRI), for making my participation in this project possible. I am grateful for his supervision, valuable comments and interest in my work. During my field work in Thailand, I received much academic as well as practical help from Associate Professor, Dr. Suree Bhumibhamon and Dr. Damrong Pipatwattanakul (KU). Without their support my work in Thailand would not have been possible. I am indebted to Dr. Vesa Kaarakka (UH) for his help during various stages of my work and especially for thoughtful comments on my manuscript. In Thailand, I had the privilege to receive help from many people. I want to mention the staff members of the Office of the Rubber Replanting Aid Fund in Bangkok, Nong Khai and Buriram, who kindly assisted me in finding suitable sites for field study. I am grateful to Mr. Arak Chantuma and Mrs. Pisamai Chantuma from Chachoengsao Rubber Research Centre for providing me with the necessary facilities and assistance with the arrangements for my field work. I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Chorruk, Mr. and Mrs. Choochit and Mrs. Sompong Puksa in Ban Kruen, Buriram, Mrs. Boonhouse Nanoy, Mr. Prasittiporn Sankarn and Mr. and Mrs. Arlapol in Pak Khat, Nong Khai and Mrs. Pa Noom Thurtong in Lad Krating for information, hospitality and for letting me conduct field inventories in their rubber plantations. My field work would have not been possible without the help of Mr. Prin Kalasee, Mr. Jakrapong Puakla, Ms. Waranuch Chansuri, Ms. Supanee Nakplang and Ms. Pantaree Kongsat. I want to thank Mr. Chakrit Na Takuathung for helping me in finding literature from Thailand once I had already returned to Finland. Finally I want to thank all those who helped me and were very friendly to me making my short stay in KU and in Thailand an unforgettable one. I want to thank Professor, Dr. Jouko Laasasenaho and Timo Melkas for helping me with calculating wood volume estimates for trees, and Riika Kilpikari for helping me with statistics. Thanks are also due to Dr. Mohamed El Fadl for help in data search and comments as well as to other VITRI staff and students for their comments. Last but not least I want to thank my family and friends for their support. Dublin, November 2006 Laura Rantala This study was financed by the Common Fund for Commodities, an intergovernmental financial institution established within the framework of the United Nations, headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 2 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................5 1.1 Background of the study.......................................................................................................5 1.2 Scope and objective of the study......................................................................................... 10 2. LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................................................... 11 2.1 Botany and distribution of Hevea brasiliensis..................................................................... 11 2.1.1 Distribution of Hevea brasiliensis in Thailand............................................................. 12 2.2 Climatic requirements of the rubber tree............................................................................. 14 2.3 Soil requirements of the rubber tree.................................................................................... 17 2.4 Rubber cultivation in Southeast Asia ................................................................................ 18 2.4.1 General characteristics.................................................................................................18 2.4.2 Agroforestry practices................................................................................................. 19 2.4.3 Environmental considerations...................................................................................... 21 2.5 Uses of Hevea brasiliensis.................................................................................................. 22 3. MATERIAL AND METHODS FOR FIELD STUDY............................................................... 23 3.1. Material............................................................................................................................. 23 3.1.1 Field work and study areas.......................................................................................... 23 3.1.2 Plantation inventory.................................................................................................... 27 3.1.3 Interviews and field observations................................................................................. 28 3.1.4 Climatic conditions and soil types ............................................................................... 28 3.2 Methods ............................................................................................................................. 31 3.2.1 Estimation of wood volume and biomass..................................................................... 31 3.2.2 Mann-Whitney`s U-test................................................................................................ 33 4. RESULTS................................................................................................................................. 34 4.1 Plantation performance ...................................................................................................... 34 4.1.1 Height and crown structure.......................................................................................... 34 4.1.2 Wood volume and biomass ......................................................................................... 37 4.2 Farming systems................................................................................................................. 44 4.2.1 General characteristics.................................................................................................44 4.2.2 Agroforestry practices and land use history................................................................. 45 5. DISCUSSION........................................................................................................................... 46 5.1 Variation in wood production potential between clones and study areas.............................. 46 5.2 Agroforestry practices in northeastern Thailand.................................................................. 49 5.3 Wood production potential in the Northeast and East compared to the South ...................... 50 5.4 Critical assessment of the study.......................................................................................... 54 5.4.1 Aims achieved............................................................................................................. 54 5.4.2 Limitations of the study............................................................................................... 55 6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................... 57 REFERENCES............................................................................................................................. 59 3 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS BPM 2 4 BB19 BR10 BR16 BR03 CB16 CB08 CR16 CR06 CR03 CRRC DBH DOA FAO GIS GPS LDD NB16 NB07 NR16 NR08 NR03 ORRA RFD RIS RRIM 600 RRIT TMD Bank Pertanian Malaysia`s rubber clone number 24 10-year old RRIM 600 stand in Buriram, 14°38`50 N, 103°12`72 E 16-year old RRIM 600 stand in Buriram, 14°38`56 N, 103°12`79 E 16-year old RRIM 600 stand in Buriram, 14°38`56 N, 103°12`79 E 3-year old RRIM 600 stand in Buriram, 14°38`65 N, 103°13`47 E 16-year old BPM 24 stand in Chachoengsao, 13°5` N, 101°5` E 8-year old BPM 24 stand in Chachoengsao, 13°5` N, 101°5` E 16-year old RRIM 600 stand in Chachoengsao, 13°5` N, 101°5` E 6-year old RRIM 600 stand in Chachoengsao, 13°5` N, 101°5` E 3-year old RRIM 600 stand in Chachoengsao, 13°59`41 N, 101°43`81 E Chachoengsao Rubber Research Center (of the Rubber Research Institute of Thailand) Tree diameter at breast height (1.3 m) Department of Agriculture of Thailand Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Geographic Information System Global Positioning System Land Development Department of Thailand 16-year old BPM 24 stand in Nong Khai, 18°37`11 N, 103°35`59 E 7-year old BPM 24 stand in Nong Khai, 18°36`09 N, 103°35`68 E 16-year old RRIM 600 stand in Nong Khai, 18°37`36 N, 103°35`60 E 8-year old RRIM 600 stand in Nong Khai, 18°36`09 N, 103°35`68 E 3-year old BPM 24 stand in Nong Khai, 18°37`07 N, 103°35`15 E The Office of the Rubber Replanting Aid Fund Royal Forest Department of Thailand Rubber Information System developed by the Department of Agriculture of Thailand Rubber Research Institute Malaysia`s rubber clone number 600 Rubber Research Institute of Thailand Thai Meteorological Department 4 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study The rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis (Muell.) Arg., is a major crop for smallholders in Thailand and an important commercial crop everywhere in Southeast Asia. It is grown for latex production, while rubber wood is considered as a secondary product. Therefore rubber is regarded as an agricultural crop. However, recent improvements in wood technology have led to rubber tree becoming increasingly important as a source of wood products (Evans and Turnbull 2004). Rubber wood has enjoyed an environmentally friendly reputation as a raw material, because it is a by-product of latex production, and when grown in renewable plantations, it can substitute timber from natural forests. The natural range of Hevea, of the family Euphorbiaceae, covers the Amazon river basin and parts of the nearby uplands. Within the genus, Hevea brasiliensis (also known as para rubber) is one of the most widely distributed species. It grows in an area South of the Amazon river, extending towards the west in Peru and the south to Bolivia and Brazil (Wycherley 1992). The rubber tree has always been known for its latex, which was used by the ancient civilizations of Central and South America. The commercial and large-scale exploitation of the tree did not begin until in the last quarter of the 19th century. With the arrival of cars, discovery of the pneumatic tyre and following increase in rubber prices, the produced amount of plantation-originated rubber was soon larger than that of wild rubber. At the same time, there were strong geo-political pressures to move the rubber production away from South America (Jones and Allen 1992). While searching for a cash crop for its eastern colonies, the British identified rubber as a potential crop for planting in Southeast Asia (Hong 1999). Rubber was first introduced in Asia in 1876, when seeds were first shipped from the Amazonas to the United Kingdom and further to Ceylon and planted there. In the following year, rubber trees were planted in Singapore and Malaya (Hong 1999). Although rubber was first an estate crop, local individual farmers soon adopted the crop and so they were drawn into the world commercial economy (Courtenay 1979). Nowadays rubber is cultivated worldwide in most parts of the lowland humid tropics, but the production is heavily 5 ... - tailieumienphi.vn